Hidden Wings
by justanotherwriter455
Summary: (COMPLETE) Draco Malfoy finds out about Dumbledore's Army and gives Harry an ultimatum: either he joins or he'll tell Umbridge everything. Harry grudgingly lets him join, but as time goes by he begins to wonder about Malfoy's true motives. The line between friend and foe begin to blur, and Harry learns that everything isn't always as it seems. HarryxGinny & LunaxNeville
1. Chapter 1

Harry bolted upright in bed, his body covered in a cold sweat. He had had that same dream again. The one where he was in the Department of Mysteries—in that strange room filled with glass orbs. That was nothing new…but then it had morphed into something much more sinister. The familiar landscape had given way to a graveyard filled with tombstones. Cedric was there, and then…No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that awful moment out of his mind. He couldn't get over the fact that he hadn't been able to save Cedric from Voldemort, even though he had been right there.

But the worst part was, it wasn't a dream. Voldemort was back—but no one seemed to believe him. He had become the laughingstock of the school, and some of the other students even thought that he was the one who had killed Cedric. Just the thought made him want to vomit.

And as if that wasn't enough, Hogwarts was falling apart at the seams. Dumbledore had gone missing and the new headmistress, Dolores Umbridge from the Ministry, stubbornly refused to teach them any actual, useful magic. When Voldemort attacked—and Harry knew it was only a matter of time—they would be no better off than sitting ducks.

The next day he shared his frustrations with Ron and Hermione. He didn't talk about his nightmare, just the part about being defenseless against Voldemort.

"You're absolutely right, Harry," Hermione said, "we need a _real_ defence against the dark arts teacher."

Ron nodded emphatically in agreement, something he had learned to do whenever Hermione was speaking.

"We need someone who has actual combat experience," she continued. "Someone who understands the urgency of the situation, and someone who knows You-Know-Who better than any of us. We need someone who has fought against him and has lived to tell the tale."

She was now looking at him with a mischievous smile.

Harry drew back instinctively. "You can't mean…"

A mere two days later he sat in an abandoned art room, waiting for his so-called pupils to arrive. He had tried to protest against Hermione's crazy idea, but there was no beating that girl in an argument.

He honestly didn't expect anyone to come, but as the minutes passed, they trickled in. There were all the Weasleys that were currently at Hogwarts—Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. Kind-hearted Neville had come, as well as the mysterious Luna Lovegood and his crush Cho Chang. Parvati Patil came with Lavender Brown and her twin, Padma, from Ravenclaw. The group was rounded out by the Creevey brothers—Colin and Dennis.

They filed into the room and took whatever seats were available, waiting for him to speak.

Harry cleared his throat nervously. "Thank you all for coming. I…well…"

He glanced at Hermione desperately. "You all know why we're here," she took over, her voice confident and clear. "We need a teacher—a proper one. One who's had experience defending themselves against the dark arts."

"Because You-Know-Who is here?" Cho broke in skeptically.

"That's right," Hermione answered evenly. "He's back, and without proper training we'll be in trouble. That's why Harry is going to help teach us to defend ourselves."

"Is it true that you can produce the Patronus charm, Harry?" Dennis Creevey asked eagerly.

"Yes, he can," Hermione answered. "I've seen it with my own eyes. And he killed a basilisk with the sword in Dumbledore's office."

Ginny Weasley spoke up timidly. "It's true. He saved my life back then."

"And that's not all" Ron jumped in. "Third year, he fought off about a hundred dementors at once. And last year, he really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh."

"Wait," Harry finally found his voice. "Look, it all sounds great when you say it like that…but the truth is, most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time, and I nearly always had help."

"He's just being modest," Hermione interrupted.

"No, I'm not." He turned to look at the small band of students before him. "Facing this stuff in real life is not like in school. In school, if you make a mistake you can just try again tomorrow. But out there, when you're a second away from being murdered…or watching a friend die right before your eyes..." Cedric's face leapt into his mind. "You don't know what it's like," he finished softly.

"You're right, Harry," Hermione put her hand on his shoulder. "We don't. That's why we need your help if we're going to have any chance at beating…," she took a deep breath, "Voldemort."

Neville's eyes widened. "It's not a lie, is it? He's…really back, isn't he?"

Harry nodded solemnly. "I wish it was a lie…but it's true."

A wave of excited murmurs swept over the group, but Hermione once again stepped up to put things into order. "Alright, so now that that's settled, we'll need to find a place to practice. Someplace where Umbridge won't find us."

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Fred and George suggested at the same time.

Hermione shook her head. "Too small."

"What about the Forbidden Forest, then?" Luna said brightly.

Ron shuddered, thoughts of spiders dancing through his head. "Not bloody likely."

"No," Hermione mused, "that just might work. It's private, and we can make as much noise as we need to. The only problem is getting there without being noticed. We have Harry's invisibility cloak, but there's no way all of us can fit under it. A maximus spell is also impossible, since it's a magical item and its chemical properties are different…"

"Hey, guys," George spoke up. "Ginny has an idea." He smiled encouragingly at his little sister. "Go on, Ginny. Tell them."

"Well," she began in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "I was thinking that since we can't make the cloak bigger, maybe we could make ourselves smaller…"

" _Diminuendo_!" Hermione cried excitedly. She ran over to hug the younger girl. "Ginny, that's brilliant!"


	2. Chapter 2

The plan was set into motion the next day. Using Ginny's idea, they had already made it safely outside of Hogwarts grounds and into the Forbidden Forest. Things were going splendidly—for the most part, anyways.

"Tell me again why I have to ride back here?" Ron lamented for the umpteenth time.

While Harry made the trek to the forest covered in the invisibility cloak, the others, made small by the _diminuendo_ charm, rode in his coat and pant pockets. Ron, who was currently located in Harry's back jean pocket, had been given one of the less desirable spots, and had no qualms with letting everyone else know that he wasn't happy about it.

"Ronald Weasley, if I hear you complain one more time, you'll be sorry," Hermione fumed.

"That's easy for you to say," Ron retorted. "You've got a nice coat pocket spot."

"Any gentlemen would be happy to give up a better spot for a lady," Hermione said primly.

"For a lady maybe, but not you!"

"How _dare_ you!" Hermione shrieked.

Harry listened with only half an ear to this exchange. He had long since learned to leave those two alone when they were going at it. He paused a moment to glance over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Hogwarts in the distance. _Maybe just a little bit further_ …

His thought was cut short as his foot caught on a loose tree root. He managed to save himself from falling, but then he suddenly heard Hermione's voice scream, "Ginny!"

He looked down and saw something small plummeting toward the ground. _Ginny._ She must have tumbled from his pocket when he tripped. He reflexively cupped his hands and dropped to his knees, catching her just before she hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" he exclaimed. He brought his hands closer to his face so that he could see her better. To his relief, she was already sitting up and appeared to be unharmed, albeit a bit shaken.

"I'm fine," she said softly. "Thank you for catching me, Harry."

"No problem," he answered. "It's my fault that you fell anyways. Sorry about that."

After walking for a few more minutes, Harry decided that they had come far enough. At this distance, there was no chance that anyone at Hogwarts would be able to detect them. He turned everyone back to their normal size, and then immediately launched into their first lesson.

" _Stupefy_ is one of the most useful spells in your arsenal," he began. "It's a wizard's bread and butter, really. Using it properly will knock your opponent to the ground and render them unable to move temporarily, giving you a huge advantage in a close combat fight."

"So," he continued, "I would like you all to try it on some inanimate object first, like a rock or a tree branch. Once you can move that, then we'll try it on each other."

He assessed each student with an expert eye that belied his years, making corrections and adjustments as he walked from one to the other. Public speaking may not have been his cup of tea, but teaching was something that came naturally to him.

"Good Fred! Good George!" he said as they successfully moved two good-sized rocks several yards back. They were both seniors, so it was to be expected that something like this wouldn't be too difficult for them.

He was happy to see that most of the others were also getting it fairly quickly.

"Try flourishing your wand a bit less, Dennis," he directed his youngest student. "You want to point the wand exactly where you want the energy to go."

He watched as the younger boy tried again, this time repelling a lightweight branch back about a foot. "Much better!" Harry praised him. The boy may have only been a second-year, but he certainly had potential.

The only one left was Ginny. As he came up to her, she stood there, unmoving. "Do you want to give it a go?" he asked gently. Even though he always saw her when he was at the Weasleys', Ginny was still a mystery to him. She was a grade below him, and she had always been quiet, especially when he was around.

"I'll try," she answered somewhat reluctantly. She took a deep breath, " _Stupefy_!"

Her voice and motions were weak, but the branch still moved about the same amount as Dennis' had. "Good job," he told her. "Just keep working on your intensity and concentration. Remember, the more you desire the object or person to move, the more it will respond."

"Alright," she said quietly.

"Well then," he said as they gathered back together, "I think you guys are ready to practice the real thing. Go ahead and pair up, and then we'll try it one at a time."

After they had done so, he said, "So, I want each of you to take a turn using the spell on your partner. And don't worry about holding back, I'll cast a counterspell to catch you guys, so I want you to give it all you've got."

"All right," he said to Ron and Hermione. "You're up first."

"You'd better prepare yourself, Ronald," Hermione brandished her wand threateningly. It appeared that she hadn't yet forgotten Ron's earlier insult.

Ron swallowed nervously. "Harry?" he looked at him pleadingly. "You're sure I won't get hurt?"

"I'm sure," he assured his friend. "You just might go flying a bit."

" _What_?!"

"I need to see how powerful the spell is," Harry explained, trying hard not to laugh at the panicked look on Ron's face.

Ron went first, managing to throw Hermione backwards a few feet, but as expected Hermione's showing was far superior. Her natural talent combined with her current rage sent Ron flying so far that Harry was forced to use the counterspell prematurely so that he didn't hit a tree.

"That was fantastic, Hermione!" he said excitedly. "Oh, and Ron, good job to you too," he added.

"Thanks a bloody lot," Ron muttered.

The pairs went down the line after that. Fred and George, Cho and Padma, Parvati and Lavender, Neville and Luna, and Colin and Dennis. To his gratification, all of them, even Dennis, were able to move their partners at least a bit.

They had an odd number, so he paired up with Ginny who had been left alone. They stood facing each other, several yards apart.

"Ok, Ginny, now I want you to try your best to move me as far as you can."

"Do you want me to cast a counterspell?" Hermione asked.

"That's alright," he answered. He wasn't sure that Ginny would be able to move him at all, and even if she could, he knew that he wouldn't be knocked back more than a foot or two.

He turned back to Ginny. "Go ahead, Ginny. Give it your best shot."

"But…," she twisted her wand in her hands, "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll be fine," he assured her.

"Ok then," she said hesitantly, "here it goes… _Stupefy_!"

The force of the spell hit him like a brick wall. He felt himself being flung through the air, and then then everything went black.

"…arry….Harry….Harry!"

 _That was… Hermione's voice._ As Harry opened his eyes, he could make out the blurry forms of his friends bending over him. He blinked, but they still didn't come into focus. Suddenly he realized what was wrong. His glasses were missing.

He began to feel frantically around on the ground when Hermione thrust something in front of him. "Here, your glasses," she said. "They got a crack in them, so I was fixing them for you."

He put them on, and immediately felt better. His head still throbbed, but at least he could see. "Thank you," he said. "What happened…?"

"Ginny sent you flying," Ron broke in eagerly. "You should've seen it—it was incredible!"

"It's true," Hermione said. "You went even further than Ron."

Harry was still trying to process this information when he noticed Ginny, standing with red eyes, at the back of the group.

"I'm…so sorry...Harry," she said between sobs.

"Ginny," he said gently, "you don't need to feel bad. I'm fine." He stood up to prove his point, but he moved too quickly and would've fallen if Ron hadn't stepped forward to support him.

"That's right, Ginny," Hermione hugged her comfortingly. "It's not your fault. Harry was an idiot for not letting me cast a counterspell."

Harry shrugged his shoulders helplessly. She had a point.

"You're not angry with me?" Ginny sniffed.

"Of course not," he said quickly. "In fact, I'm elated. If you can do that in a real-life battle, we'll be set!"

They decided to head back to Hogwarts after that. It had been a productive, and somewhat surprising first day, but Harry knew that there was still much work to be done.


	3. Chapter 3

After that, their secret group—which they had decided to call Dumbledore's Army—held lessons nearly every day. They were making good progress, but as usual, Draco Malfoy continued to be a thorn in his side. The Slytherin member was always watching them with those suspicious eyes and smug smile that never failed to make Harry's skin crawl. Draco obviously knew that they were up to something, and Harry knew that he wouldn't stop until he figured out what it was.

They had no choice but to become even more cautious. They started varying their meeting place and time, and always took a roundabout route to avoid being followed. Hermione even created a code that allowed them to plan their lessons during the day without risking anyone else overhearing. And finally, Harry had everyone pair up into groups that would stay with each other whenever they weren't in class. If Malfoy decided to make his move, there would be more safety in numbers.

One afternoon they were meeting up to go out for another lesson. Everyone had arrived except for Hermione and Ginny, who had been paired together. He glanced at his watch again. _They should have been here by now._ He was on the verge of starting a search for them when he spotted Hermione running towards him, followed closely by Ginny.

"I'm sorry we're late!" Hermione said breathlessly. "Ginny wasn't feeling well, so we were delayed."

Harry looked at Ginny in concern. "If you're not feeling up to it, you can take a break for today, you know."

Ginny merely shook her head.

"She feels fine now," Hermione explained. "She's just lost her voice, that's all."

"I see…," Harry said. He turned to Ginny. "Are you absolutely certain you feel ok?"

He received a nod in answer, and deciding he'd have to be satisfied with that, they set off. The group made it to the Forbidden Forest without incident and began the lesson as usual. His group had mostly mastered _stupefy_ and they were now working on the _levicorpus_ spell.

"Good, Luna!" He watched as she lifted Neville about a foot of the ground, looking a bit uneasy. That time was perfect."

"Alright, Ginny." He walked up to her. "Your turn. Go ahead and give it a shot."

Ginny's face contorted into a foreign yet strangely familiar smirk. "Sure thing, Potter. _Expelliarmus_!"

Harry would have recognized that drawling voice anywhere. _Draco Malfoy._ Even though he was taken off guard, his real-life battle experience didn't fail him. In an instant he had pulled out his wand and cast the spell back, effectively nullifying it.

"Malfoy," he spat out the name, hating the very taste of it on his tongue. "What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you too, Potter," the other boy said sarcastically.

"What have you done with Ginny?" he said, his voice shaking with fury.

"The Weasley girl? Ah, I put her to sleep for a while. I must say, though, she did put up a good fight. She's as timid as a mouse, so I thought she'd give me her hair willingly, but she actually used _stupefy_ on me!" He chuckled slightly. "She's still too soft, though. The second I acted like I was having trouble breathing, she dropped her wand and ran over to me. Foolish girl."

"You…!" Harry grabbed his shirt and glared at him threateningly. "Pick a fight with me if you want, but you leave her and the others out of it."

"Harry!" Hermione cried. "Now's not the time for this. We have to go back and find Ginny."

Harry reluctantly released him, but not before snatching his wand out of his hand.

"Give it back, Potter," Malfoy said in a low voice.

Harry gave him a leveling glare. "You'll get it back as soon as I see that Ginny's alright."

He used the _diminuendo_ spell on Malfoy and the rest of the group and started heading back to the castle with more haste than ever before. Since his pockets were already mostly full and he didn't want to risk him getting away, Harry held Malfoy in his hand as he walked. Also, this way, he could gain some pleasure from occasionally closing his fist tighter around him, making the other boy yelp with panic.

Once they had made it back to Hogwarts, he literally squeezed Ginny's whereabouts out of Malfoy. They found her lying on the floor of the abandoned west wing bathroom.

"Ginny!" Harry knelt down on the floor beside her and shook her gently.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Harry…I'm so sorry…I tried to stop him, but I couldn't…"

"Don't be sorry," he told her. "It wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're alright."

It was true, but now that his worries regarding Ginny were relieved, he began to realize how bad this was. Malfoy knew—he had seen everything. The lessons would have to stop, of course, and he knew that they would likely be expelled as well.

Malfoy cleared his throat expectantly. "My wand?"

Harry threw it to him without a backward glance.

"We're in a bloody lot of trouble, aren't we?" Ron said.

"Listen," Harry began, "if you guys tell them that I forced you to do it, then—"

"What are you talking about?" Hermione interrupted. "We're not going to let you be the scapegoat for this. If you're going to blame anyone, it should be me. This was my idea, after all."

Harry shook his head. "This isn't a game, Hermione. We're talking about getting expelled here. It's not a big deal for me, but you're a model student with a perfect record. I can't let you throw all that away. If anyone gets expelled, it's going to be me."

"No one has to be expelled if you agree to my deal."

They all looked up in surprise to see that Malfoy was still there, watching them with amusement.

"Deal…? What do you mean?" Harry eyed him suspiciously.

"I'll keep quiet about this—on one condition." He paused dramatically. "Let me join your lessons."

"Huh?!" Ron burst out. He looked at Harry. "Has he gone mad, do you think?"

"It's your choice," Malfoy said simply.

Harry narrowed his eyes. _What was he playing at?_

"There's no way we can trust him!" Ron said.

He looked around at the small band of students. He knew that if they were found out, they would insist on taking the fall with him. That knowledge made his decision easy.

"We'll let him join."

"B-But he's Draco Malfoy!" Ron exclaimed.

"I know," Harry answered calmly, "but I don't think we have much of a choice."

He turned to Malfoy. "You can join us. But," he lowered his voice threateningly, "if you lay a hand on any of my friends again, you won't get away with it. Understand?"

Malfoy smirked in reply. "Perfectly."


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, this is bloody awkward, isn't it?" Ron whispered in his ear.

 _Awkward is an understatement_ , Harry thought as he looked at the group in front of him. All of the usual people were here, with the glaring addition of Draco Malfoy. Harry couldn't think of anyone he'd rather not be here, besides maybe Voldemort himself. But after what had happened yesterday, Malfoy would be coming to their secret practices from now on.

He could tell that the other students were uneasy. As their leader, he had to do his best to carry on like normal. He wouldn't allow this to ruin their training. With an attack from Voldemort imminent, these lessons could literally be the difference between life and death.

"Alright," he said, "it looks like we're all here, so let's get going."

As if on cue, everyone pulled out their wands and cast the _diminuendo_ spell. Once he had put all of them into his pockets, he turned to Malfoy, who was still his original size.

"Well?" he said impatiently. "Are you coming or not?"

"You must be joking if you think I'm going to do that again," he replied. "Who decided that you always get to be the one who stays your size anyways? This time I'll use the invisibility cloak, so you can go ahead and cast _diminuendo_."

" _You_ must be joking if you think I'm going to do that," Harry retorted. "Now hurry up and cast the spell, or we'll leave without you."

Malfoy didn't answer for a moment, evidently weighing his options. "Have it your way," he said finally. "But I'm riding in a pocket this time."

"Fine," Harry replied. "You can ride with Ron."

"Huh?!" He could hear Ron's voice from the back pocket of his pants. "You've got to be bloody joking if you think I'll—"

"Ron." He lifted his friend up so that they were face-to-face. "Listen to me," he whispered. "You're the only one who I can trust with guarding him. That's why I said that he'd ride with you."

"Oh…oh, I see," Ron nodded his head thoughtfully, looking visibly pleased. "Well in that case, I guess it can't be helped. Leave it to me, mate."

Harry smiled. He had been friends with Ron long enough to know how to convince him to do just about anything.

"Alright," Harry began once they had made it to the forest, "today we are going to resume working on the _patronus_ spell. We made some good progress on it a few lessons ago, but I want all of you to keep working towards a full, corporeal _patronus_. As you know, this is an advanced defensive spell that is extremely useful against dementors. Be sure to keep in mind what I said when we first talked about this spell as you're practicing. That's all then, you can go ahead and start."

He had purposely chosen this spell to work on today. He may not have a choice about Malfoy being here, but he did have control over what he taught him. The _patronus_ spell only worked on dementors, so Harry didn't have to worry about teaching him something that he could use against them later on. Also, since he had already talked about the importance of recalling a happy memory to strengthen your _patronus_ last time, he had purposely kept his allusion to it vague. Without knowing this, Malfoy wouldn't be able to create a good _patronus_ , even if he tried all day.

As Harry walked among his pupils, he saw that all of them were able to create at least some semblance of a corporeal _patronus_ , although for most it was still undefined. Ginny, however, was once again proving herself to be a force to be reckoned with. Her _patronus_ , which took the shape of a horse, was nearly perfect.

He came at last to Malfoy. As expected, he was having little luck. All of his attempts produced a silver mist without an actual form. Harry watched him for a moment and then began to walk away.

"Well?" Malfoy called after him. "What am I doing wrong?"

Harry turned around and stared. He knew that Malfoy had to have figured out that he had set him up to fail, but he was still honestly asking him for help. Since he had went that far, it wouldn't hurt to tell him, he supposed.

"In order for it to work, you have to recall a happy memory as you cast it," he explained.

"Stop messing with me, Potter."

"It's the truth," Harry put his hands up in a gesture of innocence. "But you don't have to believe me."

He half-expected Malfoy to quit, but to his surprise, the other boy started casting the spell again in earnest. Harry watched him curiously. "Why do you want to practice with us so badly, anyways?"

Malfoy lowered his gaze. "I have my reasons, and I'm not obliged to tell you."

 _So that was how it was going to be_ , Harry thought to himself. Without another word, he turned away and moved onto his next student.


	5. Chapter 5

The days passed, and although it still felt strange to have Malfoy there, Harry had to admit that he hadn't caused any trouble during the lessons so far. He also appeared to be keeping his word about not telling Umbridge about their practices. All in all, things were working out as well as he could have hoped considering the circumstances.

They had progressed through a number of spells since the start of their practices, and today they were working on _expelliarmus_. As always, once he had given a brief lecture about the spell, he had them pair off and try practicing it on each other. He partnered up with Malfoy, since he still didn't trust him enough to let him use magic on the others.

All of them were so focused on practicing that they didn't even notice the sound of something tearing through the forest, coming straight towards them. By the time they realized, it was too late. The centaurs were upon them, galloping furiously through the group, ready to defend their land to the death.

 _This is bad_ , Harry thought to himself as he scrambled to get out of the way. Centaurs were troublesome opponents—their tremendous speed and agility made it nearly impossible to hit them with offensive magic. Even though he counted only half dozen or so, he knew that they would still be at a disadvantage.

He glanced at his friends, who were in a state of complete disarray. Many of them, including himself, were wandless, having just been disarmed by _expelliarmus_.

For now, he had to focus on restoring order. "Everyone, stay calm and listen!" he yelled. "If you don't have your wand, focus on finding it! If your partner is wandless, watch their backs while they look. Fred, George," he addressed the red-headed twins, "you can cast _protego totalus_ , right?"

"Sure can, Harry!" they answered in unison.

"Good. Then I need you two to cast as large a barrier as you can. The rest of you, once you have your wands, go stand near them. You'll be safe there. Now hurry!"

Once he had seen that everyone was following his orders, he set to work finding his own wand. He didn't even bother asking Malfoy to guard him. He would just have to hope that he would get lucky and find it before he became centaur fodder.

But the sound of loudening hooves told him that today was not his lucky day. He finally spotted his wand and lunged for it, but there wasn't enough time. The shadow of the centaur was looming over him, and he could do nothing but close his eyes and prepare for impact.

" _Stupefy!_ "

After a moment of breathless waiting, Harry opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. The centaur was laying on the ground, motionless. The person who had cast _stupefy_ …it had sounded like Mafloy. He stared at him. "Did you do that?"

The other boy gave a noncommittal shrug. "I don't know why you look so surprised. Isn't that what you told us to do?"

Harry could hardly believe his ears. "Thank you," he said at last.

"Save the thanks for later, Potter. We've got other things to worry about."

Harry knew he was right. Together, they started towards the rest of the group.

" _Ronald Weasley_!" Hermione said in exasperation. "Stop running away this instant and cover for me properly while I find my wand!"

"Well, hurry up will you!" Ron said anxiously, looking as if he would bolt any second.

"Ron, Hermione!" Harry hurried over to them.

"Harry!" Ron said with relief. "Thank goodness you're here!"

He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'll help Hermione look, so keep up the good work."

"What? B-But—" Ron sputtered.

"Found it!" Hermione cried, holding it up with triumph.

"Took you bloody long enough!" Ron said. "Now let's go!"

They ran to where Fred and George were, two centaurs right on their tails. They made it inside the barrier just in time, out of breath and terrified, but alive.

"Is…is everyone here?" Harry panted, scanning the group for missing faces.

"Everyone but Luna and Neville," Lavender answered worriedly.

No sooner had she finished speaking than a blood-curdling scream filled the air.

 _That voice. Luna…!_

In an instant, Harry was out of the barrier and running at full speed towards the direction of the scream.

"Harry! Please help!"

He turned around to see Neville sitting at the base of a tree, holding Luna in his arms. She was unconscious, and her head was bleeding profusely, staining her flaxen gold hair a sickening red. Neville had managed to cast a small, shaky _protego_ around the two of them, but it didn't look like he would be able to keep it up much longer.

"Neville! Hold on, I'm coming—"

"Harry! Behind you!" Neville cried.

He whipped around and waved his wand furiously. " _Stupefy_!"

He hit the mark and then immediately cast _protego_ around the three of them just as

Neville's barrier crumbled.

 _Good. They would be safe for now._

"Neville," he knelt beside him and felt for Luna's pulse. "What happened?"

"I hit her, Harry," he answered with tortured eyes. "I saw a centaur coming, and I

didn't have confidence that I would be able to hit it like you can, so I did the only thing I could think of and used _stupefy_ to get her out of the way. But then she hit a tree, and…" He hid his face in his hands. "iIt's all my fault. I killed her."

"It's alright, Neville," Harry said. "She's not dead, but she definitely would be if the centaurs had gotten to her. You didn't kill her, you saved her life."

"She's really alive…?" he asked tremulously.

Harry nodded. "Yes, but for now we need to focus on getting out of here, so we can get her treated. Can you stand?"

"I think so," Neville said, rising shakily to his feet.

"Good, then I need you to carry Luna while I focus on keeping up the barrier."

They made slow but steady progress. Maintaining _protego_ was difficult, especially since they were under assault by several centaurs who were attempting to break it down by force. But finally, they made it to where the others were.

The three of them were instantly surrounded by their friends. "Harry! Luna! Neville!"

"Luna's injured," Harry said, pushing his way through the crowd. "We need to stop the bleeding. Does anyone know any healing spells?"

"I know a few," Ginny said softly. "Let me take a look."

The rest of them stepped back as she bent over Luna and carefully examined her scalp.

"If it's this…," she mumbled to herself, "then I think…," she pulled out her wand, " _vulnera sanentur_!"

She took a moment to observe her handiwork. "Good. That takes care of the gash. And now, to clean it up… _tergeo_!"

Harry and the others watched in amazement as the blood vanished before their eyes, revealing a scalp underneath with no signs of a cut or injury.

"This is the best I could do," Ginny said as she stood and brushed herself off. "She's still suffering from the trauma of a head blow and a bit of blood loss, but at least she won't be bleeding out anymore."

"Ginny, that was incredible!" Harry said. "I had no idea that you could use such high-level healing spells!"

"It's really not that big of a deal," she answered shyly. "It was just something I decided to learn after…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "After what happened my first year. You almost died in the Chamber of Secrets because of me," she said, her eyes filling with pain at the memory, "and I wasn't able to do anything. So, I decided that next time I would be prepared no matter what."

Harry stared at her in amazement. He had originally thought of Ginny as a timid, weak person, but ever since they had started these lessons, he had been proven wrong at every turn. She was quiet, but that didn't mean she was weak. She was quite possibly his most talented student, and he was growing to admire her sweet manner and compassionate heart more each day. She was no longer the girl that he had rescued that day in the Chamber of Secrets, but a strong, brave, beautiful, and intelligent young woman. She was, to put it simply, incredible.


	6. Chapter 6

"Um, Harry?" Fred spoke up. "Sorry to interrupt, but—"

"We can't keep this up forever, you know," George said, finishing his brother's thought.

Harry glanced at the barrier, which sure enough, was beginning to fade and shake in an alarming manner.

"Harry, what do we now?" Ron practically wailed.

"We need a plan. Hermione," he addressed his friend, who was kneeling at Luna's side. "Can you think of anything about centaurs that could help us?"

"W-Well," she stammered, "centaurs are a species of magical beast whose lower torso and legs resemble a horse's body, while the higher torso resembles a human's. They are most commonly found in the forest regions of Europe, including Greece, Great Britain, and Croatia. Their skin color is white or tanned, and their eye color—"

"Hermione." He put up a hand to stop her. "I don't need the encyclopedia, just anything that can help us right now. Like do they have any weaknesses or things that they hate?"

"Yes…yes, I think that I remember reading something about them disliking water. It was in the third volume of Meribah's Magical Beasts Catalog!"

"Water…that's perfect, Hermione! There's a lake not far from here. I remember seeing it during the Triwizard Tournament, when I was riding that dragon!"

"But there's no way we'll make it there before they catch us," she said. "They're too fast, Harry."

"We'll need a way to stop them…or at least slow them down." He thought for a moment, then turned to the group. "How many of you know how to cast _impedimenta_?"

"Harry…!" Fred said nervously, as the barrier shook violently once again.

"I know! Just try your best to hold it for another minute. We're almost ready."

He turned back to the group, where every student, besides little Dennis Creevey, had their hands raised.

"Great," he said. "When I give the signal, I want you all to cast it at the centaurs."

"Wait a second, Harry," Ron said in a worried voice. "Just because I _know_ how to cast it, doesn't mean I can actually _hit_ anything."

"That's alright," he said. "There's only six centaurs, and there's eleven of us. As long as about half of us hit the mark, we'll be fine. Even better, if more than one of us hit one, it will double the effect of the spell."

"I think you've got your math wrong, Potter," Malfoy objected. "There's twelve of us minus the pipsqueak and the loony girl."

"Neville won't be casting it because he'll be carrying Luna," Harry said. He turned to Neville. "Listen Neville, as soon as the barrier goes down, I want you to start running towards the lake. You'll be slower than the rest of us, so you should get as much of a head start as you can. Take Dennis with you too, and don't stop no matter what, ok?"

Neville swallowed nervously then nodded. "Got it."

"Alright," he addressed Fred and George once he had seen that everyone was ready. "Go ahead and take it down."

It seemed that everything happened in the time it took to blink. The moment the barrier dissipated, the centaurs came charging at them, and in nearly the same instant, they were halted in their tracks by _impedimenta_.

Harry waited long enough to make sure that all six centaurs had been hit, then turned sharply and started running headlong in the direction of the lake. "Follow me!" he called over his shoulder.

The entire group ran frantically, heedless of the thorns and brambles that snagged their uniforms and scratched their skin. Harry knew that these next few moments were crucial. _Impedimenta_ lasted a minute or two at best, and at times it only affected the target for a mere thirty seconds. Their chances of hitting the centaurs again were slim, so they had to make the most of this chance.

At last, the lake rose up in the distance. He glanced behind him and was relieved to see that everyone was keeping up. Fred was with Ginny, and George was staying with Dennis to make sure that he didn't get left behind. Even Neville was keeping pace fairly well, despite the burden of carrying Luna. The lake was a bit further that he had thought, but at this rate, it looked like they would make it.

"Ah!" Cho cried out as she tumbled forward without warning.

 _What…?_ Before he realized what was happening, Harry felt the ground shift beneath him. Unable to regain his balance, he too fell into a bed of twisting vines. He began to struggle but stopped as he took a moment to survey his surroundings. _These vines almost looked like…_

"Everyone, stop struggling!" he heard Hermione cry. "It's devil's snare!"

" _Devil's what_?!" Lavender shrieked.

"The more you struggle, the more it wraps around you, so stop moving!"

Harry was already making his way to the other side, moving in a way that almost looked like he was swimming through the vines. "Everyone!" he called. "Watch me and try to follow! As long you go slowly and stay relaxed, you should be able to move!"

Now safely on firm ground, he alternated anxious glances between his friends and the surrounding forest. The centaurs should be catching up with them at any time now. They were so close to the lake, they couldn't be caught here!

"Harry!" Neville said in a panicked voice. "What do I do? Every time I try to pull Luna, the vines wrap around me!"

Harry looked at his friend, who was almost completely covered with writhing vines. Meanwhile, Luna sat on top of the plant like a sleeping princess waiting to be awakened by her prince.

"Neville, just stay calm and try to relax your body! I'll take care of Luna, so just focus on getting yourself out."

By now, all of the others had made it to the other side. He used _levicorpus_ to bring Luna to safety, then handed her to Fred.

"Take her and the others to the lake," he said. "Neville and I will be right behind you."

He could hear the sound of hooves fast approaching. The centaurs were close.

"Come on, Neville," he said encouragingly. "You're almost there!"

Finally, he was able to grasp his friend's hand and yank him out. Without even taking the time to glance behind him, he started running, dragging Neville along with him.

He could see the others standing in the water and waving, and at the same time he saw the dark shadow of a centaur loom over them. He glanced desperately at the lake. They weren't going to make it.

"Harry, Neville, duck!" George cried.

They dropped to the ground and heard the familiar sound of a spell whizzing over their heads. A backward glance at the fallen centaur told him that he had been hit with _stupefy_. That took care of one of them, but he knew that the others were close behind.

"Come on, Neville! We're almost there!" He practically lifted his exhausted friend to his feet. It appeared that he had been running on adrenaline earlier while he was carrying Luna and his energy was now completely spent.

But despite all of the setbacks, they finally made it to the water. Just like Hermione had said, the centaurs stopped at the edge of the lake, unwilling to go any further.

"Well, Harry and Neville!" Fred and George came up and slapped them on the back. "So glad you could finally join us. You two certainly do like to arrive just in the nick of time, don't you?"

Harry shrugged and offered a breathless smile. There had been several close calls, but they had made it, and that was all that mattered.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well…" Ron finally put into words what everyone was thinking. "What now?"

Harry glanced towards the shore, where the centaurs were waiting for them with the calculated patience of a predator stalking its prey. He had hoped that they would give up once they made it to the water, but it appeared that they weren't going anywhere for the time being.

But Harry knew that he and his friends couldn't afford to wait here forever. Luna still needed medical attention, and if they were gone much longer, their absence at Hogwarts would be noticed. They had to get back as soon as possible, and there was only one way that he could think of.

"We'll just have to try to explain the situation to them," he said.

"You mean _reason_ with those beasts?" Malfoy asked incredulously. "You must be joking."

"They may be classified as magical beasts, but they have human-like intelligence," Hermione replied matter-of-factly.

"Hermione's right," Harry said. "I'm sure that if we talk to them, we can come to an understanding. We have to at least try." He sent Malfoy a challenging stare. "Unless you have a better idea, that is."

"Do whatever you like," the other boy replied haughtily, "but I'm staying right here."

"Most of us should stay here anyways," Hermione said to Harry. "If we go in a large group, we might come across as combative."

"Agreed. I'll go."

"Wait, it's too risky on your own, Harry," she said. "I think if it's just one more person it should be fine, so—"

"In that case," Ginny spoke up, "I'll go."

Harry immediately rejected the idea. "No way. It's too dangerous."

"Harry's right, Ginny," George said. "There's lots of other people here, so there's no reason that you have to be the one to go."

"There is a reason," she said with quiet determination. "My _patronus_ is a horse, remember? If they see that, then maybe they'll at least listen to us."

"But still—" Harry began to object.

"Ginny has a point," Hermione said. " _Expecto patronum_ is said to be a representation of the user's soul, so if they see Ginny's, it might make us feel less foreign to them."

Harry looked at Ginny, who met his gaze unwaveringly. "Alright then," he finally gave in. "But if things start looking dangerous, I want you to go back right away."

"I will," she smiled brightly.

Once Ginny had cast her _patronus_ , the two of them waded together through the water, moving as close to the shore as they dared.

"Will you please listen to us?" Harry addressed the centaurs, who had tensed at their approach. "We just want to talk."

"Is that so?" one of the centaurs said, his voice filled with disdain. He stood in the center, larger than the rest, and Harry surmised that he was their leader. "You're saying that now, but you seemed more than ready for a fight earlier."

"That's because you didn't leave us a choice," Harry retorted, feeling his temper begin to flare.

Ginny suddenly stepped forward. "We're sorry for attacking you. We didn't want to hurt you, we just did the only thing we could think of to get away."

Harry looked at her and felt his chest swell with pride. He was close enough to see that she was trembling like a leaf, yet her voice was calm and confident, her plea honest and heartfelt. It appeared that even the calloused centaur wasn't able to remain unaffected in the face of such sincerity, because when he spoke again, his manner was considerably subdued.

"All right, then. We'll give you a chance to explain yourselves, but we're not making any promises."

"Thank you very much," Ginny said, as she and Harry exchanged relieved glances.

"So, start by telling us what you were doing in _our_ part of the forest," the centaur said gruffly.

"Right," Harry said, taking over the appeal. "We were practicing spells, you see, only I didn't realize that we had gone so far into the forest. We weren't intruding on your land intentionally. It was an accident, honest."

"You are students at Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

The centaur snorted with contempt.

"Is there something wrong?" Harry asked.

"We're not exactly on good terms with the academy as of late," he replied. "The new headmaster Doris Underbridge something or another—"

"Dolores Umbridge?" Harry supplied.

"Yes, her. She's been conspiring with the Ministry to reduce our territory even more. For all we know," he appraised them suspiciously, "you could be spies sent by her."

"I can promise you that we aren't working for Umbridge," Harry said, his nose wrinkling with disgust at the mere thought. "The only reason we're practicing all the way out here is so that we don't get caught by her."

"So you say. But what are you practicing for anyways?"

Harry hesitated. He wasn't sure if it would be wise to tell them everything, but if they wanted to get out of this alive, he wasn't sure that he had much of a choice.

"We're preparing to fight Voldemort," he said at last.

"The Dark Lord? He's been dead for years."

Harry shook his head grimly. "He's back, and he could attack at any time. That's why we have to be ready."

"I see…," the centaur said, but Harry could tell that he thought he was crazy. "And how do you know this?"

"That's because…"

"It's because he's Harry Potter," Ginny burst out.

The centaur crossed his arms skeptically. "Harry Potter? You mean the Boy-Who-Lived?"

Ginny nodded. "That's right. You-Know-Who…I mean, Voldemort's already failed to kill Harry more than once, so he's come back to finish what he started." She turned towards Harry. "Show him your scar, Harry."

He obeyed, stepping closer so the centaurs could see it clearly.

"It's really true," the centaur looked at him, his eyes filled with wonder. "I've seen things about you, Harry Potter. Your fate and Voldemort's are inextricably entangled. You are the chosen one—the only one who can ultimately defeat him, but if you manage to do so, it will be at a great cost."

Harry shuddered slightly at the centaur's ominous words. _The chosen one._ He had been told that he was special ever since he was introduced to the magical world, but he had never thought much of it. The centaur's prediction forced him to ask himself a question he had been avoiding until now. _Was he really meant to defeat Voldemort? And if it was true…was he even capable of defeating someone who was widely regarded as the most fearsome wizard of all time?_

"Very well," the centaur said, putting an end to Harry's introspection. "I'll take your word for it, Harry Potter. Please excuse us for attacking you without cause."

"It's alright," Harry replied. "It's over and done now."

"Is there anything we can do for you to make up for it?"

He was about to say that it wasn't necessary, when an idea occurred to him. "Actually..." he said, a smile spreading over his face, "there is one thing…"


	8. Chapter 8

Harry and the others whooped with delight as they raced through the forest on the backs of the centaurs. The magical creatures seemed to travel faster than the wind, yet their gait was so smooth they could've been gliding on water. As he gripped the lead centaur's unruly red mane and breathed in the smell of fresh pine sprigs, Harry couldn't wipe the smile off his face. It was spectacular, rivaling even his ride on a dragon last year.

They arrived at Hogwarts much too soon, forcing Harry to once again face reality and the problems that came with. Thanks to the centaurs they had made it back before curfew, but there was still the issue of Luna. She needed to go to the medical wing, but he knew that Madam Pomfrey would have questions about how she had gotten injured in the first place.

"Can't we just say that she, like, bumped into something?" Parvati suggested. "With Ginny's spells it doesn't look that bad from the outside."

Hermione shook her head. "Madam Pomfrey's a master at medicine and healing magic. She'll be able to tell right away that it's more serious than it looks, and that someone already treated her."

The faces of the group, which had been hopeful a moment before, fell. "No one's going to believe that she injured herself that badly from just 'bumping' into something by accident," Ron said dismally.

"Are you sure about that?" Malfoy spoke up. "This _is_ Loony Lovegood we're talking about."

"Her name is _Luna_ ," Neville corrected him tensely. "And what do you know about her anyway?"

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but Harry put his hand up to stop him.

"Malfoy has a point," he said, remembering how Luna had told him that one time she had been distracted reading a book and walked right off the top of the old clock tower. She would've plummeted to her death if her robe hadn't caught on a protruding ledge. And that was just one of many remarkable stories she had. "Look," he said, "Luna's great, but you have to admit that she can be clumsy at times. I think that if anyone can pull this off, it would be her. It's at least worth a try."

"I'll bring her to the medical wing," Cho said. "Since I'm also a Ravenclaw."

"Ginny should go, too," Hermione put in. "They may want to know who performed the healing spells, and if they want to see proof of it for themselves, she's the only one who can do it. Ah, but…," she paused for a moment and looked at Ginny uncertainly, "if they find out that you used such high-level spells, you may get in trouble for it."

"It's alright," Ginny said without hesitation. "It's much better than the entire group getting caught."

Harry smiled at her, their eyes meeting for a second before Ginny quickly looked away. "Alright," he said, glancing at the clock. "Curfew's in ten minutes, so the rest of us will go back to our rooms so that no one gets suspicious. Good luck, you two."

Harry and Ron made it back to their room without trouble, but Harry knew they couldn't relax yet. While Ron snored loudly in the bed next to his, he lay awake, listening carefully for approaching footsteps. He expected Umbridge to come in at any moment and kick him out of Hogwarts, but hours passed, and the halls remained quiet.

As soon as it was light out, he dressed hastily and tiptoed to the common room. It wasn't long until Ginny, who was an early riser, came out of her room.

"Ginny!" he practically pounced on her in his eagerness. "How did it go?"

"Everything went well," she smiled. "Madam Pomfrey believed us, and she said that Luna will be fine after a few days' rest."

"That's great, but what about you?" he asked. "Did you get in trouble?"

Ginny lowered her eyes. "Just a bit, but Madam Pomfrey said that since the spell worked, she wouldn't tell anyone about it this time. But she did warn me that I shouldn't use such spells without proper training in the future."

"I see." To Harry, such a mild scolding was inconsequential, but he knew that for Ginny it had likely been hard to bear. "Thanks a lot for doing this, Ginny. I'm sorry that you had to get in trouble for it."

"Don't be sorry, Harry," she said earnestly. "I said I would do it, and I don't regret it. I'm glad I could help the rest of the group."

Harry grinned. "I still can't believe that it worked. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually grateful that Luna's so clumsy!"


	9. Chapter 9

The others were elated when they heard the news, and Harry thought that even Malfoy looked a bit relieved. After breakfast, they tried to visit Luna, but were told that she hadn't woken up yet.

Harry was anxious all during class. He couldn't help worrying that Luna would wake up and accidentally say something about Dumbledore's Army or the Forbidden Forest or their fight with the centaurs. As soon as his last class for the day finished, he and the others practically sprinted to the medical wing.

Luna was awake and appeared to be in high spirits. She had a vanilla pudding cup in her hand and a stack of unopened ones on a tray beside her. "Hello everyone," she greeted them serenely. "It was nice of you to come and visit." If it weren't for the unusual paleness of her skin and the bandage around her head, Harry would have never known that she had been seriously injured the night before.

"I hear that I had a terrible fall last night," she continued, "though I don't remember any of it."

Harry and the others exchanged worried glances. _Was it possible that she had actually lost her memory when she hit her head?_

Luna looked thoughtful. "I don't remember falling, but I _do_ have a strange memory of being attacked by centaurs…"

All of them froze in place.

"Nonsense, dear." Madam Pomfrey whisked by holding a tray filled with medicinal potions. "It was just a dream, I can assure you."

"I suppose so…," Luna said, her eyes twinkling with mischief. She lowered her voice as she continued. "But I would certainly like to hear the rest of the dream later on from you all."

Harry and the others gave a collective sigh of relief. _She remembered._

"Luna…" Harry wondered what he should say to her. Although he didn't regret using her reputation to protect the group, he still felt guilty about it.

"Don't worry, Harry," she said in a conspiratorial whisper. "I haven't told anyone. I figured out almost immediately what your plan was—it was quite brilliant, really."

"You're not upset?" he asked with some surprise.

"Of course not," she smiled. "I would've told you to do the same thing if I hadn't been unconscious at the time."

At this, poor Neville stepped forward, looking as if he was about to cry. "Luna…" He wrung his hands together nervously. "I'm so sorry! It's all my fault…"

She touched his hand lightly. "Don't be silly, Neville. You've done nothing to apologize for."

"Of course, I have!" he burst out. Madam Pomfrey looked at them sharply, and he lowered his voice before continuing. "It's because of me that you got hurt. It's because of me that you're in here right now."

"It's true that my head aches a bit," she replied airily, "but I'd imagine that it's much better than being trampled by centaurs. I mean, it's true that I've never gotten the chance to be trampled by centaurs, so I guess that I can't be sure, but…in any case Neville, you saved my life. You don't need to be sorry about that, unless you really hate me, I suppose."

"I don't hate you at all!" he exclaimed. "I…I like you a lot!"

Harry saw Madam Pomfrey's head turn in their direction. She looked at them warningly, and he knew that they would be thrown out if they disturbed the other patients again.

"That's nice," Luna smiled at Neville, whose cheeks had turned bright red. "I happen to like you quite a bit, too. Now that that's settled," she glanced at her supply of pudding, "would you all like some?"

Three days passed, and Harry felt as if he was finally able to breathe easy again. Luna had been released from the medical ward the day before, and Malfoy had just returned from a weekend trip with his parents. Harry had put a temporary stop to their practices until he was sure it was safe, but now that some time had gone by, and all of their members were back, they were ready to start training again.

They agreed to meet after class in the west corridor, but when the promised hour came, they found none other than Dolores Umbridge waiting for them.

Harry could tell from her squinting eyes and her flared nostrils that she was furious. "All of you, come with me this instant!"

The entire group, with the exception of Malfoy, who hadn't shown up, obeyed without a word. Harry thought that the other boy had been acting a bit odd since he returned from his trip, and now he knew why. He had betrayed them.


	10. Chapter 10

"What on earth _were_ you thinking?" Dolores Umbridge sputtered, leading them into an abandoned classroom on the third floor. "Practicing without permission outside of Hogwarts grounds—and in the Forbidden Forest no less! Do you have any idea how many school orders you've broken?" She walked to the front of the room and tapped her wand against the palm of her hand. "Sixty-seven, that's how many. _Sixty-seven._ " She said this with such extreme severity, that you would have thought they were convicted felons of Azkaban rather than a bunch of wizarding students.

"But, it wasn't _just_ us!" Ron protested. "Malfoy was with us too!"

She sent him a withering glare. "Don't you dare speak back to me, Mr. Weasley. I have a mind to expel all of you—it would certainly be no less than you deserve."

"Ms. Umbridge, please—" Harry began.

"However," she continued, "since I am a kind and merciful woman—"

Harry had to elbow Ron in the ribs to keep him from snorting.

"I will let you off with detention and a day of solitary confinement. Also," she peered at Harry through her spectacles, "it is _Headmistress_ Umbridge, Mr. Potter."

"Solitary confinement?!" Fred and George exclaimed in unison. "But Professor Dumbledore got rid of all those medieval punishments when he became headmaster!"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You would do well to remember that _I_ am your headmistress now, and therefore, my word is law. You will accept my choice of punishment, _unless_ you would rather be expelled."

All of their grumbling was immediately silenced. "Well then," she said briskly, "we will start your detention. Today you will be writing lines for me. I would like you all to write this a hundred times."

She tapped her wand against the blackboard, and the words, _"I am sorry for breaking the rules"_ appeared in very prim looking cursive.

She handed out pieces of paper and gray quill pens.

"Um, excuse me, Headmistress Umbridge?" Parvati Patil raised her hand tentatively. "You didn't give us any ink."

"Oh, you won't need any," she answered with a malicious smile.

Harry's felt his stomach drop. His worst fears were confirmed. He had had detention with Umbridge before, so he knew the trick. "Brace yourselves," he muttered under his breath. "The pen's enchanted. It scratches onto your hand whatever you write down."

Everyone's faces blanched, but they all gripped their pens bravely and started writing. Harry joined them, the pain every bit as intense as he remembered. He could bear it, he only wished that he could've somehow protected his friends. But when he stole a glance at the others to see how they were doing, his chest swelled with pride. Although their jaws were set with pain and many had tears in their eyes, not one of them made a sound or even allowed themselves to grimace.

By the time they finished, their hands were throbbing fiercely, but they felt as though they had won. They smiled triumphantly at Umbridge, who looked a bit deflated that they had managed to take the fun out of her little game.

"Well then," she sniffed as she collected their papers, "I hope that this exercise engraved that line into your minds just as it was engraved it into your hands. You will now undergo solitary confinement in this room. I will come back and release you when twenty-four hours have passed."

And with that, she swept out of the room, locking the door behind her. Ron didn't waste a moment in pulling out his wand and pointing it at the doorknob.

"Ron, wait—" Hermione began.

" _Aloharma!_ "

There was a strangle sizzling noise as a blue spurt of light came out of his wand and he was thrown backwards onto the floor.

"Ron!" Hermione ran to his side. "Are you alright?"

"Ouch!" Ron rubbed his backside. He looked at his wand, which had smoke coming out of one end. "What bloody happened?"

"I was _trying_ to tell you," Hermione said, her concern quickly turning into exasperation, "that Umbridge cast an enchantment on this room. In other words, we can't use magic."

"So, what do we then?" Ron asked grumpily.

"We should just sit and wait it out," Harry said. "I know that it stinks, but it could be worse. At least we weren't all expell— _ouch_!" He clamped his hand to his scar, doubling over as sharp pain blurred his vision and took his breath away.

Suddenly he was seeing the same door from his dreams. He could hear low voices whispering to each other and a shrill, cackling laugh. There were shady figures flitting around in dark cloaks. _Death Eaters._ Voldemort was there too, his ghoul-like face sending shivers up the back of Harry's neck. And kneeling in the middle of it all, his hands tied and his face bloodied, was a familiar face that made his stomach lurch. _Sirius._


	11. Chapter 11

"They have Sirius!" Harry cried, bolting upright. He was on the floor, surrounded by his friends who were looking at him with a mixture of concern and confusion.

"Voldemort has him!" he said again in an agitated voice. "I _saw_ it! Just like the time with your dad, Ron!"

The others continued to stare at him blankly, but Ron and Hermione's expressions darkened with understanding.

"Slow down, Harry," Hermione said calmly, "and tell us everything you can about what you saw."

"I saw a door. The same one I've been seeing in my dreams, in the Department of Mysteries. And then I saw Sirius—tied up and covered in blood—and a bunch of Death Eaters and Voldemort around him."

Hermione and Ron looked at each other grimly. "Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, I'm sure!" he practically shouted at her. He jumped to his feet and started towards the door.

"Harry, wait!" She grabbed his arm to stop him.

He shook her off. "I've got to save him, Hermione!"

"Harry, please just listen for a minute." She sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. "What if Voldemort meant for you to see this? What if he's only hurting Sirius because he's trying to get you?"

"So what if he is?" Harry spun around to face her. "I'm supposed to just sit back and let him die? Hermione, he's the only family I've got left."

He ran to the door with his wand and cried, " _Alohomora!_ " but in the next instant he, too, was sitting on the floor with smoke spewing out of his wand.

" _Like_ I just told Ron," Hermione said, "this room has been enchanted with an anti-magic jinx. Spells won't have any effect."

"What about the windows then?" Ron said brightly.

"That won't work. They won't open because of the enchantment, and even if they did, did you forget that we're on the _third_ floor, Ronald?"

"I don't see you coming up with any better ideas," Ron muttered, his ears turning very red.

"There must be some way out!" Harry said desperately. Every second that he waited around here, his chances of saving Sirius slipped away.

"We don't know exactly what's going on—" Fred spoke up.

"But if it's a way out that you want—" George said.

"We've got it." They both held up hair pins that were the perfect size and shape for picking locks.

Harry looked at them both in amazement. "You guys are brilliant!"

They flashed a grin. "Magic is splendid and all, but we find that there is a certain ingenuity to Muggle tricks like these. You never know when they may come in handy."

"Thanks a bunch for the help, guys," he said once they had finished. "Just stay here and try to get some help if I'm not back in a few hours."

He went to reach for the door handle, but Fred and George blocked his way. "Just hold on a second," they said, crossing their arms over their chests. "You must be crazy if you think that you're leaving us behind."

The others quickly voiced their agreement.

Harry stared at them. "You all…want to come with me? You can't," he said, trying in vain to keep the panic out of his voice. "It's too dangerous. We'll be fighting _real_ Death Eaters, maybe even Voldemort himself."

"That's what we've been preparing for all this time, isn't it?" Ginny said bravely, though her face was very pale.

"But this is different," he insisted. "This is my personal problem, I can't involve you all—"

"When are you going to get it into your head? We're in this together, Harry," Hermione said stubbornly.

He looked from one determined face to another before finally giving in. "Alright, then. Let's do this."


	12. Chapter 12

Harry started for the door but was blocked again, this time by Hermione.

"What is it now?" he said impatiently. He couldn't stop imagining what horrible things might be happening to his godfather at this very moment.

"Harry, you can't seriously think that thirteen students who are supposed to be under solitary confinement are just going to waltz out of Hogwarts without any trouble? We need a plan if we want to have any hope of rescuing Sirius."

Harry knew that she was right, but it was still difficult to stop himself from just flinging open the door and making a run for it. He sat down glumly at a desk. "What do you suggest?"

She flashed a brilliant smile. "I have some ideas…"

They discussed the details of the plan for several minutes, then Hermione took the invisibility cloak from Harry and put in on. Luckily, he hadn't taken it out of his bag yet when Umbridge caught them.

"Alright, so, remember, wait until I cast _both_ spells before you take the cloak."

They heard her mutter the disillusionment charm first. It would hide the open door from sight while they escaped. A moment later they heard her say the shrinking spell, which was the signal for them to pull the cloak back into the room.

Luna was next. She donned the invisibility cloak and stepped just outside the door. They heard her mutter _diminuendo_ , then heard the soft rustle of the cloak as it fell to the floor. As Harry bent down and retrieved the cloak again, he could see a very tiny Luna making her way to the baseboards against the wall. Harry was the last one out, and he closed the door behind him. He cast the counterspell for the disillusionmentcharm, then gathered up the others and started towards the front gate.

He went as quickly as he could, but his progress was slowed when supper ended, and hordes of students flooded out of the Great Hall. He walked pressed up against the wall, careful to avoid bumping into anyone.

He kept going until he spotted Draco Malfoy. The sight of the slicked-back blonde hair of their betrayer filled him with rage that he was in no mood to suppress. He squeezed his way through the crowd, then stuck his foot in front of Malfoy and watched with satisfaction as he tumbled headlong onto the floor.

Crabbe and Goyle, his two cronies, clumsily helped him to his feet. "Are you ok, Draco?" they simpered.

"I'm fine," he said, brushing them off.

"What happened?" Crabbe said.

Goyle elbowed him roughly. "He tripped, obviously."

" _I_ didn't trip," Malfoy said, looking around angrily. " _Someone_ tripped me. I felt it."

"But who?" Crabbe asked. He turned to Goyle. "I didn't see anyone, did you?"

The other oafish boy shrugged his shoulders. "Don't think so."

Harry watched as Malfoy's eyes narrowed dangerously. He stared hard at the space in front of him, right where Harry was standing. He reached out his hand slowly, growing closer and closer until his fingertips were no more than a hairbreadth away from touching the cloak. Harry snapped back to his senses and drew away just in time.

"What'cha doing, Draco?" Goyle asked, watching him in confusion.

"Nothing," he muttered darkly. "Let's go." He retracted his hand and stalked away, Crabbe and Goyle following close behind.

Harry could hear his friends quietly cheering him as he continued down the hallway. They made it to the main entrance without any more trouble, then headed straight for the training grounds. To his relief, the brooms from the last flying class of the day hadn't been put away yet. Mrs. Hooch was nowhere to be seen either. He had never been gladder that their flying teacher wasn't the responsible sort.

He shed the invisibility cloak and quickly reverted the others to their normal size.

"Alright guys," he said as he picked up a broom, "let's do this."

Harry spent the entire trip to London willing his broom with every ounce of his strength to go faster. _Hold on, Sirius_ , he pleaded over and over in his head. _Please hold on._


	13. Chapter 13

After what seemed like an eternity, the foggy skyscape of London came into view. Harry led the way through the city, flying dangerously low in his haste. His scar was throbbing painfully, which could only mean one thing. Voldemort was close, and he likely had Sirius with him.

He finally spotted the battered old telephone booth that served as the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Gesturing to the others, he made a sharp dive towards the ground. He pulled up just in time and landed in a nearby alleyway, the rest of the group close behind him.

"We should hide our brooms," Hermione said in a low voice. They stacked them against a brick wall as she cast a disillusionment charm over them. The street appeared to be deserted, but a pile of brooms would look suspicious if anyone came across them.

"So, what now?" Cho asked, shivering slightly from the chilly night air. "How do we get to the Ministry?"

"Over here." Harry walked to the telephone booth and opened the door.

Ron peered over his shoulder curiously. "A fellytone booth? How does that help us?"

Harry didn't bother to correct him. "It's the entrance, but…" He turned to the others. "Look, it's a bit cramped inside, so maybe some of you should wait out—"

"Well, then," Fred and George cut him off, grinning, "it's a good thing we've had plenty of practice with the shrinking spell, isn't it?"

He looked at the others for help, but none came. Accepting defeat, he waited for them to cast the charm, then they all went inside together.

He dialed the code into the receiver and a moment later a cool female voice spoke, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

Harry took a deep breath, listed all of their names very quickly, then said, "We're here to save someone, and we're in a hurry."

"Thank you," the woman said in the same calm, cool tone. "Visitors, here are your badges. Please attach them to the front of your robes for the duration of your visit."

"Alright," Harry said in an agitated voice as he reached into the metal chute and pulled out a handful of metal badges. "Now can we get _going_?"

As if on cue, the floor gave a shudder and they began to sink into the ground. The door eventually reopened into the Atrium. It had been bustling with people the last time he had been here, but now it was completely deserted. Harry swallowed back his sense of foreboding as he led the way to the gold lifts.

He glanced over the panel of buttons and quickly pressed the number nine. A moment later the grilles of the lift opened, revealing a very familiar corridor with a large black door at the end of it.

"Is this it, do you think?" Hermione whispered.

He nodded as he looked around himself in amazement. After seeing it in his dreams all year, he was actually here. He strode over to the door, the others following hurriedly behind him, and flung it open.

Even though he had seen it a hundred times before, his jaw still dropped. The room was cavernously huge and filled with row upon row of glass orbs.

Another sharp pain pierced his forehead. _They were getting close._

He found the number fifty-two on the row nearest to him, and after taking a moment to get his bearings, started running. Finally, he saw it. Row ninety-seven. He hurried down the aisle, looking frantically for Sirius.

Only after he had been up and down the entire row twice did he accept that his godfather wasn't there. He glanced at his friends, who were panting heavily. _Had this all been for nothing? Had he led them straight into a trap?_

"Harry, come look at this," Ron's voice came from behind him.

"What is it?" Harry said eagerly, thinking that maybe he had found a clue to where Sirius was.

But his hopes fell just as quickly as they had risen when he saw what Ron was pointing to. It was an unremarkable orb, just as dusty and ancient looking as all the others.

"What?" he asked impatiently.

"The label for this glass ball thingy has your name on it."

"Huh?" Harry stood on tiptoe and peered at the yellowish label closely. Sure enough, it read:

 _S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D._

 _Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter_

He picked up the orb carefully, but nothing happened. He was still wondering what it meant, when right behind him, a drawling voice said, "Very good, Potter. Now, nice and slowly, hand it over to me."


	14. Chapter 14

Harry whipped around and groaned inwardly at the sight of at least a dozen black-robed figures. _Death Eaters._

"Come now, Potter," the owner of the drawling voice, who Harry now saw was Lucius Malfoy, said. "There's no need to make things difficult."

Harry took a step back, clutching the orb to his chest. "Where's Sirius?"

A high-pitched cackle came from one of the shorter robed figures. "You little fool! You _actually_ believed that we had your beloved godfather and walked right into the Dark Lord's trap."

Harry felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. _This couldn't be happening._

"That's right, Potter," Lucius continued smoothly. "Sirius isn't here, but you can still save your little friends if you give me that orb."

Harry glanced at the dusty ball in his hand. Whatever it was, Voldemort clearly wanted it badly. That was reason enough to keep it away from him…but if it could save his friends…

"Don't do it, Harry," Hermione said urgently. "There's no way they'll keep their word, they'll still—"

"What'll it be, Potter?" Lucius Malfoy interrupted sharply.

Harry faced him squarely, his face taut with determination. "You're kidding yourselves if you think I'd give this to you."

"Well then," the smaller robed figure spoke gleefully, "we have no choice but to _take_ it from you." She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Harry. " _Accio_ prophecy!"

But Harry was ready for her, casting a quick _protego_.

"Well, well, well," the female Death Eater said, sounding mildly impressed. She was now close enough for Harry to see the gleam of insanity in her heavy-lidded eyes. "It seems that little, bitty Potter knows how to play! That's good—it's more fun this way!"

She took a dueling stance, with Harry responding in kind, but before either of them had the chance to cast another spell, Lucius stepped between them.

"Bellatrix, wait! We must be careful. Remember what the Dark Lord ordered. There are…other ways to get what we came for."

 _Bellatrix…Where had he had heard that name before…?_ It suddenly hit him. This was Bellatrix Lestrange. He had seen her trial in the Pensieve. She was a devoted follower of Voldemort, who had willingly gone to Azkaban rather than denounce her dark ways.

"Of course, Lucius." Bellatrix lowered her wand, but it was obvious that she was disappointed. Harry watched her uneasily as her gaze shifted away from him to rove over the others. "We can't touch Potter, but there's no problem with the rest of the little kiddies, right?"

Lucius nodded curtly, and her previous vigor returned. "Splendid! Disobedience is nothing that a little bit of torture can't fix...let's see…how about the two little ones…yes, that runt of a boy…" Dennis Creevey gulped nervously as her eyes landed on him, "and the little red-haired wench." She grinned leeringly at Ginny.

Harry stepped in front of them protectively. "Don't touch them or I'll…or I'll break this stupid ball." He raised the orb over his head threateningly.

It was clear from Lucius' face that he had struck a chord, and when the blonde-haired man spoke, his voice lacked its usual relaxed quality. "Now, Potter, calm yourself. No one's going to hurt your friends if you just give that orb to us."

"I've already told you that you can't have it," Harry replied shortly, trying hard to think. Right now, he was buying time, but he knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. He and his friends could try to fight them, but the numbers meant that each of them would have to take on a Death Eater alone. It was true that they had all improved immensely, but expecting students, especially some of the younger ones, to fight a full-grown dark wizard on their own was too risky.

"What should we do?" Ron whispered anxiously.

"Don't do anything yet," he said in a low voice. "I'm thinking."

" _Well think quickly please_!"

Their best chance would be to run and try to get away, but he knew that as soon as they moved a muscle they'd be riddled with spells. They could try to hit them with an Impediment Jinx, but these were wizards, not centaurs. He knew that they wouldn't even get the chance to cast anything before the Death Eaters put up a protective charm or cast a counterspell.

Hitting them would be close to impossible. But he didn't need to attack them directly, he just needed a diversion, something that would give them enough time to make their escape…he glanced up at the towering shelves laden with orbs on either side of him.

 _It was crazy, but it just might work_ …

Taking a deep breath, he pointed his wand upward and shouted, " _Reducto!_ " There was an answering explosion that reverberated throughout the enormous room.

He didn't even take the time to inspect the damage as he and the others fled up the aisle, but the sound of shattering glass and the curses of the Death Eaters told him that he had hit his mark.

They got a good ten-second head start, but all too soon the familiar whizzing sound of spells began. They still hadn't made it out of the narrow aisle, so they were no better off than sitting ducks.

"Keep going!" he urged the others in between casting consecutive Shield Charms.

They had nearly made it out of the aisle when he heard a cry and the sound of someone crumpling to the floor.

"Ginny!" he raced over to her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said, but her voice sounded strained and her face was very pale.

He wasn't convinced by her brave act in the slightest, but his worries would have to wait. Right now, their priority was getting out of here. He was helping her up when she gave a small gasp. "Harry, watch out!"

He looked ahead, where there was a Death Eater blocking the way out. He couldn't understand how one of them had managed to get in front of him, but it didn't matter now. He watched in horror as the dark wizard pointed his wand straight at him and muttered something under his breath.

There was no time. Desperately, he pulled Ginny behind him, hoping to shield her with his body. He heard the distinct sound of a spell grow closer…then mysteriously fade away.

He opened his eyes in confusion. Glancing backward, he saw another Death Eater lying prostrate on the floor. _Had he missed and accidentally hit one of his own?_

"You know, Potter," a familiar drawling voice spoke out from the hood of the Death Eater that was still standing, "you really should be more careful. It gets exhausting always watching your back."

Harry could hardly believe his eyes as the dark-robed figure pulled back his hood. _Draco Malfoy._


	15. Chapter 15

"What are _you_ doing here?" Harry asked, his wand still poised and ready. The others were standing around him in a similar, tensed stance.

"I would just _love_ to tell you the whole story, Potter," the other boy drawled, "but don't you think we have other, perhaps, more important things to worry about right now?" He smirked as Harry ducked and narrowly avoided a spell that whistled past his ear. "Come on, then."

Harry watched, split in indecision, as Malfoy turned and started walking away. But there was no time for hesitation. The Death Eaters were close behind. They had no choice but to keep moving forward.

"Let's go," he said to his friends, setting off at a run after Malfoy.

They dashed up the main aisle, dodging spells and casting shield charms haphazardly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Neville cast _protego_ around Luna just in time to block a _crucio_ curse. Even in all of the chaos, he couldn't help but smile with pride. Neville certainly had come a long way.

He chanced a look at the nearest aisle. The number on the front read seventy-seven. He groaned inwardly. They weren't going to make it. The Death Eaters were gaining on them every second, and everyone, including himself, was already spent.

To his surprise, Malfoy suddenly veered off from the main hallway and started down another row. Harry stopped in his tracks. He briefly debated leaving him, but in the end, he called out, "Where are you going? The exit is _that_ way." He pointed in the direction of the door where they had come in.

The other boy shook his head. "I know another way out. It's faster, trust me."

"We're not really going to believe him, are we?" Ron's voice, though ragged from exhaustion, was still filled with panic.

Harry glanced back—the pack of Death Eaters were nearly upon them—then down the aisle where Malfoy was waiting for them expectantly.

At last, he shrugged and started down the aisle. If they were going to be forced to fight for their lives either way, he'd take his chances with Malfoy.

They caught up with the blonde-haired boy, who had stopped in front of an oddly bare section of shelves. He muttered _revelio_ , and a second later a door with a brass handle appeared.

Once they had all piled in, Malfoy cast a disillusionment charm to hide the door from enemy eyes. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Harry surveyed his surroundings.

They were in a dusty, ancient-looking corridor. The only light came from mounted candles set at intervals down the length of the hall. Their flames burned blue and cast an eerie, shadowy light over the narrow room.

"Where are we?" Harry asked.

Malfoy glanced sidelong at him. "It's a shortcut that leads to the lifts. This room has one hundred aisles. The main door is placed in front of number fifty—exactly in the middle—but there are also hidden exits placed at aisles twenty-five and seventy-five for lazy bureaucrats who don't fancy walking too far."

When they all continued to look at him suspiciously, he put up his hands defensively. "Hey, my dad works at the Ministry, remember? He's brought me here a couple of times and showed me around."

Harry was opening his mouth to question him further, when Dennis Creevey said in a very trembly voice, "Where's Colin? Where's my brother?"

He glanced around and was alarmed to find that the fourth-year boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Hermione's gone, too," Ron said frantically.

Harry felt his insides crumble. He started towards the door. He was going to find his friends and bring them back safely, even if it killed him.


	16. Chapter 16

Malfoy grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Wait a minute, Potter."

Harry shook him off angrily. "What is it?" he snarled. He wasn't in the mood to talk with anyone right now, least of all Draco Malfoy.

"If you go out there, you're doing exactly what they want."

"Then what do _you_ suggest I do?" he retorted hotly.

"We should wait for reinforcements. Members of the Order will be arriving soon to help."

Harry was in too much of a hurry to question how or why Malfoy knew this. "Even if that's true, we don't have time to just sit around here and wait. I somehow doubt that the Death Eaters will be understanding enough to hold off on _killing_ Hermione and Colin while we're waiting for help to come."

From somewhere in the corner, he heard Dennis whimper.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and gave him a look that clearly said, " _You're an idiot and I can't believe you haven't been killed yet_ " but in the end he said simply, "Have it your way."

Harry turned towards the rest of the group, hoping once again to convince them to stay behind where it was relatively safe. "Guys—"

But this was all the further he got before being interrupted by Ron. "Don't even think about it, mate. We're in this together, remember?" His friend's voice was shaky, but he could tell that he wasn't going to be persuaded.

The rest of the group wore similar expressions of determination, except for Ginny, whose face was more a mask of pain than anything else. She had sunken to the floor and was cradling her right arm gingerly.

"What's wrong, Ginny?"

"It's…my arm," the redhead said through clenched teeth. "I think…it's broken."

"Ginny, I want you to stay here," he ordered. "I'm sorry, but you won't be any help to us like that."

Looking very small and defeated, Ginny nodded. He had a sudden urge to go over and hold her but forced himself to stay focused. He looked at Dennis. "And I want you to stay here with her, Dennis."

"But Colin's my brother!" the second-year protested. "I want to help save him too!"

"You'll only be a burden to us," Harry said sharply, causing Dennis' lower lip to tremble dangerously. Feeling a twinge of guilt, he put his hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Look, Dennis. I know that you want to go rescue your brother, but I need you here to protect Ginny. I promise that I'll bring Colin back. Ok?"

The boy still looked as if he was about to cry, but he finally gave a small nod.

"I'll stay here with them," George spoke up. "Mum would kill me if she found out I left Ginny."

"Alright," Harry nodded his agreement, feeling relieved that at least one older and more experienced wizard would be there if anything happened. The Weasley twins were jokesters, but he had always known that they were far more capable than they let on.

"As for the rest of you," he turned his attention back to the group, "those who want to come, follow me. But understand that you're putting your life in danger by doing so."

He made his way to the door, and this time no one tried to stop him. He was reaching for the handle when Parvati spoke. "What about the glass ball, Harry? Voldemort wants it, so don't you think it would be safer if you left it here?"

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the orb. He stared at it for a moment before shaking his head and putting it back. "No, I'll take it just in case. I don't care what it is; if it can save Dennis and Hermione, then I'll gladly hand it over."

He flung open the door and walked out into the aisle, the remainder of their dwindling group, plus Malfoy, following close behind.

"What are you doing?" he asked the blonde-haired boy suspiciously. He still didn't know what to think about Malfoy's presence and whose side he was really on.

"I'm going with you to make sure you don't get your sorry-self killed."

"I won't be needing any help from you," Harry shot back.

Malfoy merely smirked skeptically as they hurried up the aisle.


	17. Chapter 17

They hadn't gone far before they heard the sound of voices up ahead. Harry stopped and motioned for silence from the rest of the group.

"There's no sign of them," one of the Death Eaters said. "Potter and the rest of the brats are gone."

"There's no need to worry, Avery," Lucius replied smoothly. "Potter always has to play the hero. He'll be back. In the meantime, all we have to do is wait for the little mudblood-loving fool to show up."

The sound of harsh laughter echoed through the large room.

"You can laugh all you want," he heard Hermione say, "but Harry's kindness is what makes him strong. He's stronger than any of you will ever be."

"Shut up, mudblood," a vicious voice said. "This will teach you to speak out of turn."

Harry couldn't see what was happening, but Hermione's scream and Colin's panicked squeak told him that it wasn't anything good. He clenched his wand tightly, holding Ron back with his other arm.

At least they were still alive. His worst fear had been that the Death Eaters would kill them on the spot, but it appeared as if they were planning on using them as hostages. Hermione and Colin would be relatively safe for now, which meant that he had time to form a plan.

He cast a quick disillusionment charm, then called the others around him. They discussed various tactics and strategies for several minutes before separating and heading off in different directions.

Harry waited until they had all dispersed, then walked into full view of the Death Eaters.

"Hello, Potter," Lucius drawled, looking not at all surprised. "As you can see, we have your friends, so if you value their lives, I suggest you hand over the prophecy."

"Harry, don't—ahh!" Hermione's voice morphed into a cry of pain as a brute-like Death Eater grabbed her hair and yanked it roughly.

"Hurt her again," Harry said icily, "and I'll smash your precious prophecy to pieces. I doubt that Voldemort will be pleased when you come crawling back to him empty-handed."

The purple light of a spell streaked towards him, but he sidestepped quickly to avoid it. "You dare to use the Dark Lord's name!" Bellatrix Lestrange shrieked, her entire body shaking with unfettered rage.

"Lower your wand!" Lucius barked. "Now, Potter." He sounded as if he was speaking to a young child. "Let's not do anything stupid. Just hand over the orb and we'll let your friends go. You'll get what you want, and we'll get what we want. Everyone leaves happy."

"Give me back my friends first," he demanded.

Lucius' eyes narrowed. "That's not exactly fair, Potter."

"I don't care. Let them go if you want it."

He watched in satisfaction as Lucius' face contorted with fury. As long as he had the orb, he held all the power. Lucius had no choice but to accept his terms.

"Avery. Macnair," he said in a tight voice. "Release them."

Harry smiled reassuringly at Hermione and Colin as they approached. Hermione had an ugly-looking bruise on her cheekbone, but other than that they appeared to be alright.

"Alright, we did what you asked, so hand it over." Lucius reached out his hand expectantly.

"Ok." He started to step forward. "Is that what you thought I'd say?"

Whipping out his wand, he cast _vermillious_ , shooting a multitude of fiery red sparks towards the ceiling. A moment later the room exploded with a volley of spells. While Harry had been busy buying time, the rest of the group—all under the disillusionment charm—had surrounded the Death Eaters, ready to attack as soon he raised the signal.

In the ensuing chaos, Harry dragged Hermione and Colin over to the next aisle. "Listen," he told them hurriedly. "Go to row seventy-five, about halfway down. There's a secret entrance. Lavender will be waiting there to help you."

"And Hermione," he placed the orb in her hand, "take this with you."

"What about you?" Hermione asked.

"I'm going to distract them while the rest of you make it out."

She looked at him with disbelief. "But that's crazy! You can't go against all of them by yourself!"

"I'll be fine. They won't attack me because of the prophecy, remember?"

"But you don't have it, I do."

He smiled slyly. "True, but they don't know that."


	18. Chapter 18

As soon as Hermione and Colin had disappeared, he dashed back into the main aisle, conjuring a loud explosion to catch the Death Eaters' attention.

"Get him!" Lucius bellowed.

"What about the others?" one of the other Death Eaters asked.

"Don't worry about them. Potter's the only one we need."

Harry smiled with satisfaction as all of the Death Eaters that were still standing set off after him. He raced down the main aisle, casting shield charms in quick succession. He noted that his pursuers weren't using any dangerous spells, a sure sign that they still thought he had the orb in his possession.

So far, everything was going well. Time to start the next phase of his plan.

He veered to the right without warning and ran up the nearest row. He kept going until he was about halfway down, then turned around sharply and cast several stunning charms. He hadn't even had the time to take proper aim, but the narrow aisles which had conspired against them earlier were now working in his favor.

The Death Eaters had nowhere to run. Three of their numbers fell, but Lucius, Bellatrix and two others continued after him.

He made it to the end of the aisle, then immediately started up the next row. He prepared to attack again, but this time, Bellatrix was ready. She yanked one of her fellow Death Eaters in front of her as a shield, casting an _incarcerous_ spell in his direction. He was in the midst of casting another stunning charm, so he wasn't able to block it.

Thick ropes wrapped around him like rapidly-growing vines. He lost his balance and toppled over, his wand clattering to the ground. He twisted desperately towards it, but Bellatrix got there first.

"Well, that's too bad, Potter. It looks like your little game is over." She smiled triumphantly as she pointed her wand at him. " _Accio_ prophecy!"

Nothing happened, and the smile slid off her face. She turned to Lucius. "He doesn't have it."

The elder Malfoy stepped forward, his aristocratic features stony. "Where is it, Potter?"

"Like I'd ever tell you," Harry spat.

" _Crucio!_ " Blinding agony consumed him, blocking out everything else. He screamed and writhed on the floor, feeling as if his insides were being ripped out.

"You forget, Potter," Bellatrix seethed, "that we don't have to play nice anymore. You should be on your knees begging for mercy."

"She's right, Potter," Lucius said imperiously. "Tell us where the prophecy is, and I'll consider sparing your life."

"Oh, gee, thanks a lot for the generous offer," he quipped, earning him another _cruciatus_ curse.

He panted heavily as the pain finally let up, sweat streaming down his face and neck. He wasn't sure how many more of those he could take.

"There's no need for you to have to go through that again, Potter," Lucius said, his voice icy. "Just tell us where it is."

He glared up at his captors with every ounce of strength he could muster. "No."

He braced himself as Bellatrix raised her wand and cried, " _Crucio!_ " but suddenly he felt himself being lifted by the collar of his robe and pulled out of harm's way.

A familiar dark-cloaked figure had come to stand beside him. With a flick of his wand, the ropes binding Harry evaporated. His face was mostly hidden in the shadow of his hood, but there was no mistaking the smirk on Draco Malfoy's face.

"What was that about not needing my help again, Potter?"


	19. Chapter 19

It had been a most unusual day, and considering all that Harry had been through, that was saying something. He had found the Philosopher's Stone, defeated a basilisk, fought off a horde of dementors, and won the Triwizard Cup, but right now he was dumbfounded that Draco Malfoy, his arch nemesis since their first year, had saved his life today…twice.

"Who are you?" Bellatrix Lestrange demanded, looking at Malfoy closely. "Why do you wear the robes of a Death Eater?"

"It matters not, Bellatrix," Lucius said, pinching the bridge of his nose in an expression of profound annoyance. "Dispose of him."

With that command, the bombardment began. Malfoy had cast _protego totalus_ around them, but there was no telling how long the shield would hold up under the constant fire of four, highly skilled wizards.

Harry struggled into a sitting position, his limbs still numb from his recent exposure to the torture curse. "What are you doing, Malfoy?" he hissed.

The other boy rolled his eyes. "Did the _cruciatus_ curse fry your brain, Potter? What does it look like? I'm keeping us both from getting killed."

"I can help, too."

The look of irritation on Malfoy's face rivaled that of his father. "Enlighten me if I'm missing something here, Potter, but last time I checked you don't have your wand."

Harry groaned inwardly as he remembered. One glance at Bellatrix, and he could see that she was still grasping his wand tightly with her long, bony fingers.

"Summon it for me, then," he said, his eyes still on his wand.

"I'm a little busy here, Potter." Malfoy's face was taut with concentration as he focused all of his energy on maintaining the shield that was the only thing standing between them and the receiving end of a Death Eaters' lethal spell.

"But you can't possibly win against four of them on your own!"

"I'm not trying to beat them," he said in a low voice. "The Order should be here any second—we just have to hold out 'til then."

This sentence sounded absurd coming out of Malfoy's mouth, but once again, Harry decided that it was not the best time to question him about it.

The four Death Eaters were calmly sending a volley of spells at them, smiles of satisfaction on their faces. They knew that the charm wouldn't hold forever. Their prey was cornered, all they had to do was wait for their time to pounce.

At this rate, Harry knew that they wouldn't last more than a minute or two. They needed to take a couple—no, even taking down one of them would buy them a bit more time.

Malfoy was apparently thinking the same thing. "I'm going to try to take one of them out," he said through gritted teeth, "but I'm going to have to put the shield down for a second, so I want you to get behind me, Potter."

Harry looked at Malfoy as if he had gone insane. "What?"

"I said, get behind me."

He scoffed. "So you can protect me? _You're_ the one whose brain is fried if you think I'm going to do that."

"Just do it, Potter. You may be a little twerp, but you're indispensable to the Order. That means that you can't die here. If I time this wrong—"

"Then don't time it wrong," Harry said, unfazed. He had been through worse than this—there was no way that he was going to cower behind Malfoy of all people.

Malfoy stared at him for a long moment. Finally, he said, "I've remembered why I hated you for all these years, Potter. You're a stubborn, incorrigible dunderhead."

Harry sent him a smirk that would have made any Malfoy proud. "I'm glad we've cleared that up."

The shield shuddered, and Malfoy fell silent as he put his full attention into sustaining it.

"Are you going to kill them?" Harry asked quietly. After last year, he didn't want to see anyone die in front of him again. Not even a Death Eater.

Malfoy glanced down at him. "No," he said at last, "contrary to what you may believe, Potter, I'm not a murderer."

"I knew that," Harry said half-heartedly. To tell the truth, he had wondered sometimes if Malfoy would be willing to go that far. He knew that his father certainly was.

Malfoy was watching the Death Eaters intently, no doubt looking for an opening to attack. Harry followed his lead, tuning closely into the rhythm of the battle. All they needed was a short lull, even just a few seconds would be enough. After several breathless moments, it came. _Now!_ he thought to himself.

As if reading his mind, Malfoy released the shield and cast a well-aimed stunning spell towards the Death Eater standing nearest to them. He hit his mark, and the large man fell to the ground with a hard thud.

It was a great victory, but there was no time to celebrate. Malfoy had uttered _protego totalus_ even before the Death Eater hit the floor, but the resulting shield stayed only a moment before flickering weakly and fading away.

Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and the other remaining Death Eater had already regrouped, and the steady barrage of spells had resumed. "Malfoy, we need the shield!" Harry cried as a nasty-looking curse whizzed past his ear.

"I'm trying!" Malfoy said in frustration. "My magical energy—it's almost gone!"

Then, it happened.

He felt as if he was watching in slow motion, just like with Cedric's death on that terrible night in the graveyard. He saw Lucius Malfoy mouth the words " _Avada Kedavra"_ and cried out in horror as the fluorescent green spell streaked towards Malfoy.

Draco's head jerked up in surprise, his hood falling back to reveal his platinum blonde hair. His eyes widened slightly as he spotted the spell, but it was too late. The lethal curse hit him squarely in the chest, throwing him backward onto the ground.

Harry felt cold all over. He had just seen someone else die, right in front of his eyes. And once again, he had been unable to do anything to stop it.


	20. Chapter 20

The brief silence was broken by a loud, chilling moan that sounded more animalistic than human.

"Draco…" Lucius Malfoy stumbled towards the prone body of his son. "No…what have I done?"

He fell to his knees and gathered Draco's limp body in his arms. "My son…my son…"

He wept loudly, not seeming to care that such an act was highly uncharacteristic of a Death Eater. His mission was forgotten—right now, he was simply a father mourning the loss of his child.

Bellatrix, however, was undeterred. She strode past the heart-wrenching scene and grabbed the collar of Harry's robe, pulling him roughly to his feet.

She glared at him, her heavy-lidded eyes shining with insanity. "Tell me where the prophecy is, Potter. _Now_."

Her guard was down. She was obviously assuming that he was in too much shock to put up more of a fight. Unfortunately for her, she was wrong. For reasons even he didn't understand, no matter how dire a situation was (and he had been in several that were pretty bad), he couldn't find it in himself to just roll over and die. He was a fighter, and that was why he was still alive today.

He looked straight at Bellatrix and spat in her face. She screeched like a banshee and released him.

Seeing his chance, he lunged forward with strength he didn't know he had and snatched his wand out of her hand. He quickly cast a stunning jinx, but narrowly missed. He had already started to recast, but she hit him with another _crucio_ midway through his incantation.

He crumpled to the ground, thrashing and screaming in agony. The pain seemed to last forever. He wondered, in some far recess of his mind, if he was on the verge of going insane like Neville's parents. He certainly _felt_ like he was losing his grip on reality. He could no longer imagine a time when he hadn't been in excruciating pain. Finally, when he was certain that he could bear it no longer, the torturous pain stopped abruptly.

Through his quickly fading vision, he saw the blurry forms of members of the Order. Lupin…Tonks…Kingsley…Mad-Eye Moody. There was also a tall man with dark hair who resembled Sirius, but even in his dazed state of mind, he knew that he must just be seeing things.

He was vaguely aware that the Order was exchanging fire with Bellatrix and the lone remaining Death Eater, but it didn't last long. The whizzing sound of flying spells ended, replaced with the low buzzing of conversing voices.

The Sirius look-alike approached him and said in a voice that sounded strangely like Sirius', "It's alright, Harry. You're going to be just fine."

That was the last thing he heard before everything slipped into blackness.


	21. Chapter 21

Harry awoke to white-washed walls and the faintly sweet smell of antiseptic. He had spent enough time here to know that he was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

His memories flooded back all at once. He bolted upright, only to regret it as the sudden movement sent shooting pain all over his body. He was easing himself back down when Madam Pomfrey came bustling through the curtain around his bed.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," she smiled warmly, "welcome back." Then noting the grimace on his face, "You'll need to stay still and rest for a few days. Even I can't do much about the aftermath of the _cruciatus_ curse, I'm afraid." She shook her head grimly. "It's an absolutely nasty curse, the _cruciatus_. It's no wonder it's illegal…but to think someone used it, and on a child no less! I'd like to give them a piece of my mind, but the Aurors outside refused to tell me anything, saying something about how it was a matter of national security or some other nonsense."

"Madam Pomfrey," he asked her urgently, "what happened? The others…" His mind leapt to his friends who he had left behind. "Are my friends alright?"

"Oh yes, dear, they're all fine. Mr. Malfoy's the only one who hasn't woken up yet—the others have already been healed for minor injuries and released."

His brow furrowed in confusion, and he wondered if his brain had been affected by the curse after all. "Malfoy…? But he's dead."

She gave him a slightly perplexed smile. "No, not dead, dear, just injured. I'll admit that he was in pretty bad shape, but under my care he'll be good as new in a week or so. See?"

She pulled back the curtain, revealing Draco's unconscious form laying on the hospital bed next to his. The other boy was so utterly still and peaceful looking that it was hard to believe…

"You're _sure_ he's not dead?" He knew that he hadn't imagined it. The bright green light of the killing curse had hit Draco directly—he had seen it with his own eyes.

"I'm a professional mediwitch, so I think I would be able to tell the difference, Mr. Potter." She looked at him curiously. "Why were you so sure he was dead? Did something happen…?"

"Um…no, not really, Madam Pomfrey." If she had gotten that worked up about someone using the torture curse on him, he didn't even want to think about her reaction to someone using _Avada Kedavra_ on a student.

"Are the Aurors still here?" he asked, tactfully changing the subject.

"Yes, I said that I would tell them when you woke up. They wanted to see you, but I told them not to expect too much since you're still recovering."

"I feel up to seeing them," he said quickly. The truth was that his mind still felt foggy and his entire body was aching, but all of that was overshadowed by the need to know what had happened back at the Ministry.

"Alright," she said with obvious reluctance, "if you're certain…" She swept out of the room and came back a few moments later with Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Lupin, and Sirius in tow.

"Harry!" Sirius strode up to him with a broad smile. "It's good to see that you're alright! You had me worried there for a second. I thought the Dea—"

Lupin cleared his throat loudly. "Thank you for all that you've done, Madam Pomfrey, but do you think that we could have a moment…?"

Madam Pomfrey had been listening closely, and it was clear from her face that she was none too eager to leave. After glancing at each of them and receiving no support, she finally left with a small ' _harrumph_!'

"Now then," Lupin said, once he was sure she was gone, "let's begin, shall we?"


	22. Chapter 22

" _What were you thinking?_ "

The eyes of everyone present turned to Sirius in surprise. Harry gulped. His godfather had apparently gotten over his initial relief, and it had been superseded by fury—at him.

"I saw a vision where you were captured in the Department of Mysteries," he said sullenly. "So I went to save you."

"And you just walked into such an obvious trap without a second thought?"

Harry felt his own temper flare. "You're right. I'm sorry I didn't sit down and take the time to consider all of the possibilities when I thought you were _dying_!"

"You or your friends could've been killed!" Sirius shot back.

"I know," he said miserably, all of his anger leaving as quickly as it had come. He knew better than anyone how lucky they had been. "And I'm sorry, ok? I just…I didn't want to lose you too, you know?"

Lupin put his hand on his shoulder. "What's done is done, Harry. What we should be focusing on now is why Voldemort wanted to lure you to the Department of Mysteries in the first place."

"They were after some prophecy. I didn't understand what it meant, but it had my name on it, and Voldemort's too. The Death Eaters wanted me to give it to them…what happened by the way? To the Death Eaters, I mean."

"All of them were caught and put in Azkaban, except for Bellatrix Lestrange, who managed to disapparate away," Lupin said dismissively. "What happened to the prophecy, Harry?"

"I gave it to Hermione. She should still have it."

"I'll go get it from her and bring it to Dumbledore," Mad-Eye Moody said gruffly. "If anyone can figure out what it means, it'll be him."

"I'll go too," Tonks volunteered. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper as the grizzled ex-Auror stumped away. "Merlin knows we don't want him roaming the halls alone. He'll scare the life out of the poor students."

Once they had left, Harry turned back to Sirius and Lupin. "I've answered your questions, now it's my turn. What's Malfoy's connection with the Order?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Malfoy?"

Harry nodded towards the other occupied bed. "Yeah, Draco. He showed up at the Department of Mysteries and kept saying that he had contacted the Order to come help."

Lupin looked as if his mind was working through something very fast. "The Malfoy heir…? But that doesn't…" He shook his head. "No, it makes perfect sense, actually."

Harry sat up straighter, cringing slightly as he did so. "What does?"

Lupin sighed tiredly. "Last summer, we were told by Dumbledore that there was a new Order member who would be at Hogwarts next term. Someone besides Professor Snape. We weren't given their identity for security reasons, but this person was supposed to be watching over you whenever Professor Snape couldn't."

Sirius snorted derisively and looked as if he was about to say something, but Lupin silenced him with a warning look.

"Recently we've also been getting information from a source who is close to Voldemort," Lupin continued. "Someone who—like Professor Snape—seems to be working as a double-agent for the Order. Interestingly," he glanced towards Draco, "all intel from this source comes at times when Hogwarts is on break."

"So, you think it's Malfoy?" Harry said after a long moment.

Lupin rubbed the stubble on his chin. "It seems likely, considering what we know."

Harry stared at Draco, his mind spinning with unanswered questions. Was Draco actually in the Order? He would have laughed at the idea before, but after today, he didn't know what to think. If it did turn out to be true, then why? Why would Draco Malfoy, the son of a Death Eater and the heir of one of the darkest pureblood families in England, join the resistance group that was fighting against everything he had been raised to believe in and revere? And perhaps even more puzzling, why would Draco Malfoy, the boy who he had hated and been hated by in turn since first year, actually help him?

"You said Dumbledore was the one who told you about him, right?" he asked at last.

"That's right," Lupin answered.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. It looked like he needed to have a talk with Dumbledore.


	23. Chapter 23

An opportunity came sooner than he expected.

After they finished talking, Sirius and Lupin left so that he could rest. He was certain that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep after everything that had happened, but within a few minutes, he was out cold. When he awoke again, Dumbledore was sitting at his bedside.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir!" He struggled to sit up, groping for his glasses as he did so. "What are you doing here?"

"There's no need to get up, Harry," the aged wizard said kindly. "Please stay as you are. As you can see, I've been reinstated as headmaster. I came because I wanted to talk with you, but Poppy was adamant that I waited until you woke up."

Madam Pomfrey swept up to them. "You may be headmaster, Dumbledore," she said as she began to examine Harry, "but when you are in the hospital wing, I have authority." She looked pointedly at Dumbledore. "And please call me Madam Pomfrey in front of the students."

"Yes, of course," Dumbledore said, looking decidedly cowed.

"How do you feel, Harry?" she asked. "Try moving a bit and see how it feels."

Harry hesitantly lifted his arm and flexed it. "It's still a bit sore," he told her, "but not as bad as before."

"I see," she scribbled something hastily on her chart. "That's good. I think that in two days' time, you should be ready to be released."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore said, a clear note of dismissal in his voice.

She put her hands on her hips in a gesture of annoyance. "And I suppose that you'll want to talk privately as well?"

"Yes, if you would be so kind."

Harry hid a smile as the mediwitch retreated from the room with another huff of indignation. Once she was gone, Dumbledore reached into his sleeve and pulled out the orb from the Department of Mysteries.

His blue eyes were unusually serious as he gazed at Harry. "I suppose that you have many questions, Harry, and I believe that it's time you learned the answers. There's much to tell…where to begin…"

"Professor Dumbledore—I'm sorry for interrupting—but could you tell me about Draco first, please?"

Dumbledore glanced towards Draco's bed. "Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, sir…is he really in the Order?"

Dumbledore looked at him for a long moment. "I see. Yes…I suppose it would come as a shock since you didn't know…." He sighed deeply. "At the end of last term, after Mr. Diggory's untimely death, Mr. Malfoy came to me. He was shaken by what had happened. I believe that he had been doubting the rightness of Voldemort's ideology for some time, but what happened during the tournament served as a catalyst. He offered me his services, and since we were aware that Voldemort was currently setting up residence at Malfoy Manor, I decided it was a chance that we couldn't pass up. He began working as a member of the Order, sending us information about the workings of Voldemort's inner circle. Once the term started, he became especially invaluable. Since, as you know, I was unable to be at Hogwarts for most of this year, Mr. Malfoy was able to stay close and watch out for you when I couldn't."

"So that's why he wanted to join our secret defence lessons," Harry mused. "But earlier today he told Umbridge about what we were doing, and we all got detention because of it." He glanced down at his hand, which still bore the marks of the enchanted quill. "If he was on our side, why would he do that?"

Dumbledore exhaled heavily. "As you may know, Mr. Malfoy went back to his home this past weekend. While he was there, he heard about a plan to lure you to the Department of Mysteries. He likely thought you getting detention was the best way to keep you safely at Hogwarts." He paused to smile at Harry. "But of course, you managed to escape and go to the Ministry anyways. Mr. Malfoy found out and sent word to the Order by owl, but since it's not the most efficient method of correspondence, I expect that he went after you so that he could help you himself."

"It would have been a lot simpler if he had just told me it was trap," Harry said petulantly.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You would have listened to him?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He knew that he would not have.

"Even so," Dumbledore continued, "he was given strict orders not to tell anyone about his work for the Order. Much like Professor Snape, his cover was more convincing if you two continued to act like you were…not on the best terms."

Harry snorted. _That_ was the understatement of the century. He looked at Draco. Even though everything made sense, it was still hard to believe. "He's saved my life…more than once," he said softly.

Dumbledore smiled. "He's a brave young man. Not just because he was willing to put himself in danger to help you and your friends, but because he willingly turned his back on everything that he had been taught since he was young—on a way of life that his family and friends still believe in. That is the mark of true courage—doing what you know to be right no matter what those around you say."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "What will happen to him now? Bellatrix saw him protect me at the Ministry. They'll know that he's working with the Order."

Dumbledore stroked his beard as he gazed at Draco. "Yes, well he certainly won't be able to go back to his home. I suppose that he'll probably stay at Grimmauld Place for now until we can figure out other accommodations." He turned back to face Harry. "Do you have any other questions about Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry hesitated a moment. "Yes, sir…it's about something that happened at the Ministry."

Dumbledore nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Draco got hit by the killing curse. I was right there—I saw it, but he's still alive. How is that possible?"

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's rare…but possible. Who was the caster, if I may ask?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

The aged wizard turned to look at Draco. "I believe that therein lies the answer to your question, Harry. In order to cast an unforgivable curse successfully, one must truly mean it. You will be hard-pressed to find someone—even among the most heinous criminals—who is willing to kill their own child."

"I don't think that he knew it was Draco though…not until after it was cast."

"It matters not," Dumbledore answered. "Magic, at its core, is a material representation of a wizard's desire—and is thus fully controlled by them, even after it has left the wand."

Harry nodded slowly, trying to digest what he had just heard.

"Now, is there anything else?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"No, sir, thank you."

"Good." Dumbledore once again picked up the dusty orb. "Now then, where was I…? Yes, I suppose I'll start from the beginning…"

And as Harry listened, Dumbledore told him all about the prophecy that would alter his life forever.


	24. Chapter 24

So, let me get this straight," Ron said, pinching the bridge of his nose in a picture of concentration. "Malfoy's on our side and you're the 'Chosen One' who is destined to defeat Voldemort?"

Harry nodded. "Yep, that pretty much sums it up."

He, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in one of their favorite spots on the Hogwarts grounds—under a sprawling oak tree that bordered the lake. He had been released from the hospital wing just a few hours ago, and after being stuck in that room for two days, the June weather and light summer breeze were a blessed relief.

"So, according to the prophecy, you both can't live, so one of you has to kill the other?" Hermione asked, fear evident in her voice.

Harry tried to smile bravely. "That's what it says, but believe me, I won't go down without a fight."

Hermione looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she quickly dashed them away as they saw the other members of Dumbledore's Army approaching.

"Hey!" Fred hailed. "We just went over to the hospital wing…"

"But Madam Pomfrey told us you'd already left!" George said.

They plopped down in the grass, the others following suit.

"You could've told us, you know," Parvati griped. "We've been searching everywhere for you."

"Um, yeah…sorry," Harry said. Ginny had sat down beside him, and he found himself being distracted by her closeness and how wonderful she smelled. She had become more comfortable around him lately—a fact that he wasn't complaining about in the slightest.

He couldn't resist sneaking a look at her, and as they locked eyes, she smiled tentatively. "How do you feel, Harry?"

"I feel fine," he said, feeling as if his fever had returned. "I'm just glad to finally be out. I felt like I was going crazy staying in that bed."

"Malfoy still hasn't woken up, has he?" Cho asked.

He shook his head. "Madam Pomfrey says that it should be any day now, though."

"I still can't believe that he actually helped us," Neville said softly. "I wonder why he did it…"

Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who both nodded subtly. They understood that everything about the prophecy and Draco had to stay between them.

"Who knows?" he said lightly. "I, for one, would rather not get inside of Malfoy's head. I already get enough of that from Voldemort."

It was a testament to how far they had come that no one looked shocked by his use of the dreaded name, and that some of them even laughed.

"So, what happens now?" Padma Patil spoke up.

Harry glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"What happens to this—to Dumbledore's Army?"

"Well…since Umbridge is gone, I guess that we're disbanded."

He was surprised to see their faces fall in disappointment. He looked down at his hands uncomfortably, not knowing what to say.

"We may be going on break for a little while," Luna broke the silence, "but you're mistaken if you think that we're disbanded, Harry."

"That's right," Neville put in. "We're more than just an army—we're friends, and that can't be disbanded even if you tried. No matter what, when the time comes again that you need help, we vow that we'll be there fighting right alongside you, Harry." He turned to the rest of the group. "Right?"

They all cheered loudly, and Fred and George pumped their fists in the air enthusiastically.

Harry looked at them in amazement. In the aftermath of the prophecy, he had almost forgotten. He didn't have to do everything on his own. Things had changed since his days under the cupboard. He was no longer alone.


	25. Chapter 25

Harry fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. This was just…weird.

"So, uh…how do you feel?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, Potter, I'm stuck in a hospital bed after almost being killed because of your idiocy. All things considered, I've been better."

Harry forced back the angry retort that sprang to his lips. Malfoy may be a total prat, but he hadn't come here to fight with him.

"I wanted to thank you," he said with effort, "for helping me."

The other boy stared at him. "Dumbledore told you everything, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Then you know why I acted as I did."

"I know," Harry replied. "But still…thank you."

There was an awkward lull in the conversation before Draco spoke again. "What happened after I…blacked out?"

His expression was carefully guarded, but Harry knew that he was thinking about his father.

"Bellatrix got away, but the rest were put in Azkaban. Your father…" He hesitated, then forged ahead anyways. "He didn't want to kill you, you know. Not really. That's why the curse didn't work. He was…he was really upset after he saw what he had done."

Draco nodded, but said nothing.

Harry found himself speaking just to fill the silence. "I didn't tell anyone besides Ron and Hermione about you being in the Order. I thought things might be easier for you that way."

"It doesn't matter," Draco said, an edge of bitterness in his voice. "My cover's blown anyways—I expect that all of Slytherin has heard about me by now. I doubt that my friends will be welcoming me back with open arms after I got half of their fathers locked up in Azkaban."

It struck Harry just how true Dumbledore's words had been. Draco had given up everything for this cause. "If that's the case," he said without thinking, "you can always hang out with us, if you want."

Malfoy's eyebrows arched in amusement. "Are my ears deceiving me, or was that just an invitation to join the famous Golden Trio?"

Harry felt his face turn red with embarrassment. "Just forget it."

"No need to get your panties in a wad, Potter," Draco drawled with infuriating calmness. "I'll take you up on your offer—if it's all the same to you."

Seeing Harry's surprise, he said, "Even though I'm not a double-agent anymore, I'm still a member of the Order. It will be a lot easier to keep an eye on you this way."

"I don't need to be babysat," Harry said peevishly. "And besides, now that Dumbledore's back, don't you think it's a bit unnecessary to be watching my every move?"

Draco shook his head. "If there's one thing I've learned after watching you this year, it's that you have an uncanny ability for getting yourself into life-threatening situations."

Harry started to open his mouth to protest, then clamped it shut. He hated to admit it, but Draco had a point. "Whatever," he huffed.

Harry glanced at the clock, and quickly realized that he'd stayed longer than he'd intended. "I'd better go." He stood. "I'd rather not have Madam Pomfrey yelling at me for keeping you up too long."

"I'm fine," Draco said, but Harry could tell that he was barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Get some rest, Malfoy. I'm heading back home this afternoon, but I'll see you next term."

Harry started to walk away but turned around at the sound of his name. "Potter?" Draco looked at him for a long moment. "Thank you."

As the Hogwarts Express carried him across fields and rivers to distant London, Harry found his thoughts wandering to the prophecy. _Neither can live while the other survives…_ It was terrifying to think about, but at the same time, Neville's words were still ringing clearly in his mind. _No matter what, when the time comes again that you need help, we vow that we'll be there fighting right alongside you, Harry_.

The task before him was daunting, but he wasn't alone. Ron and the other Weasleys, Hermione, the Order, the members of Dumbledore's Army, even Draco Malfoy—all of them were fighting for the same cause. They were all providing their support for the moment when he, Harry, would finally fight Voldemort.

For their sake, he couldn't give up or lose hope. Voldemort had to be stopped. He wouldn't allow what had happened to Cedric—and almost happened to Draco—to ever happen again. He wouldn't stand by and let those precious to him be killed. He would keep fighting, and someday he wouldtake down Voldemort—no matter the cost.

Another eventful year at Hogwarts had ended, but he knew that the real fight was just beginning.


End file.
